The wind farm industry has been forced to admit that the environmental benefit of wind power in reducing carbon emissions is only half as big as it had previously claimed.
The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) has agreed to scale down its calculation for the amount of harmful carbon dioxide emission that can be eliminated by using wind turbines to generate electricity instead of burning fossil fuels such as coal or gas.
Source: Telegraph

A giant wind turbine near Peterborough has been switched off after its frozen blades threw shards of ice crashing into nearby homes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7763900.stm

Although wind energy is a potentially useful renewable energy resource, insufficient emphasis is placed upon optimising its efficiency in operation under UK renewable energy policy and planning guidance. Exaggerated claims are made about its efficiency in terms of actual and likely capacity factors achieved. Noise and health impacts are understated in industry, and some government, literature. Impacts on residential property prices have still not been adequately assessed. The industry claims that the planning system in the UK presents more obstacles than in, for example, Denmark, Germany or Spain, are ill-founded. …

Residents were left fearing for their safety after shards of melting ice fell on homes and gardens from the blades of a giant wind turbine.

For about four hours people in King’s Dyke, Whittlesey, had to take cover as huge lumps – some two feet long – showered them from the 80 metre high tower on Saturday morning.