To mitigate global warming, we must accelerate the development of renewable energy. Wind energy has grown rapidly worldwide recently because of its abundance and environmental benefits. As wind power expands, the climatic and ecological impacts of large-scale wind farms demand urgent attention. This study reviews wind farm impacts at local, regional, and global scales, emphasizing climate responses. It also examines ecological effects during both construction and operation, focusing on soil, hydrology, and biota. Wind farms alter surface fluxes, wind speed, and temperature by extracting atmospheric kinetic energy, increasing surface roughness, modifying boundary-layer stability, and intensifying rotor-wake turbulence. These processes further shift precipitation and cloud cover. Ecologically, construction and operation disrupt bird habitats, raise bird and bat mortality, generate noise, and affect soil carbon cycling and vegetation growth. Offshore projects can weaken hurricane winds and storm surges and reduce ocean-to-atmosphere heat flux, yet construction may harm benthic organisms and algal communities. Overall, this study clarifies how wind energy development interacts with climate and ecosystems. It calls for coordinated development and provides evidence to guide an environmentally friendly energy system in China, supporting high-quality economic and social development.
Pin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.