Wind parks help contain wildfires, scientists say

Seven regions in Europe will be studied: In Italy the field of a World War II battle, in Spain a place where wind turbines have been deployed (photo), in Belgium an urban area with residential pressures, in Portugal a rural area, in Cyprus a national forest and in Estonia a Natura 2000 area. In Greece, the object of study will be Falasarna in Crete. [Juan J. Glez]

An association of scientists says that wind parks, whose construction has often run into local opposition, actually help local forests. 

The Hellenic Wind Energy Association rebuffs claims that wind parks are destructive of forests, giving the example of a recent wildfire in Corinthia regional unit, where the infrastructure built for the wind farm owned by National Energy, such as approach roads that helped fire engines access the site of the wildfire, water tanks, pumps and other recently installed equipment in pristine condition, actually helped contain and then extinguish the fire. 

HWEA, concern about the many conspiracy theories regarding wind energy and other renewable sources that run rampant on the Internet, has been running an online campaign since early summer on several social media. 

According to a recent study by the group, wind farms situated in...

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