In this essay, I will be reviewing some of the disadvantages to wind energy. The use of wind as an alternative energy source began when oil prices spiked, and again with growing concerns about climate change. Although it is “clean energy”, industrial wind turbines provide new environmental challenges like land space and habitat invasion. Wind is also unpredictable, so a lot of energy, sometimes powered by fossil fuels, goes in to keeping a steady flow of electricity generated. It is also detrimental to humans in that it lowers property values due to noise and light pollution. The additional resources needed to compensate for efficient wind energy are not effective, economically or environmentally. Therefore, we need to stop placing so much emphasis on energy from wind and more time finding a truly clean alternative. The Problem with Wind Energy: What Environmentalists Leave Out Carbon dioxide produced by the increasing use of fossil fuels has caused a phenomenon known as climate change. Fossil fuels pollute our air, water, and land, and scientists are trying to find alternatives to these fuel sources. Wind is used as an alternative because there is a never ending amount, and it does not contaminate our Earth. Activists avow that it is one of the best options, yet they fail to mention the problems it creates. Wind energy is not reliable, still depends on fossil fuels to function properly all the time, and even creates complications for humans. Literature Review The use of wind turbines is nothing new. They have been around for ages, used to pump water or grind wheat. Human innovation and technological advances since the Industrial Revolution have increased demand for energy sources. People immediately turned to oil and other fossil fuels as a means of powering these new inventions because they were cheap, abundant, and worked well. However in the late 1970’s, oil prices significantly increased, forcing companies to search for other alternatives. Wind turbines were turned to as a solution for this. As oil prices fell again, wind turbines went to the wayside (Stripling, 2016, pg. 126). Environmentalists have since blamed fossil fuels as the cause of climate change, pollution, and overall
Wind energy is clean and renewable. The wind is never going to stop blowing; therefore, there will always be enough to keep the turbines going. While some areas may have more wind than others, there is always wind. Wind turbines do not produce any pollution or waste, making them one of the cleanest energy sources on the planet. However, environmentalists are concerned that with the increase of wind turbines, bird populations with decrease because they are getting hit by the wind turbines and dying. Because of the huge poles in the ground, turbines can cause erosion and disrupt wildlife habitats. Wind turbines are also huge; at 30 meters (100 feet) above the ground, with large spinning blades, they can be a bit of an eyesore. They are also loud and have a deep buffeting sound. But the idea is that the large wind farms will be located in the middle of nowhere so they don’t cause an issue in suburban areas. Small wind turbines may be located in backyards to feed houses directly, but these would be so small that they wouldn’t bother any
According to BP the share of energy used for power generation will rise from 42% which it was in 2015 to 47 % by 2035. (BP 2017) Wind power uses wind turbines which convert kinetic energy into electrical energy. Where is the risk in wind power? The wind turbines could cause bodily harm to humans or to wildlife. Turbines can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour that can create deadly obstacles for birds. (Looper, Lance 2017) Bird populations could be in harm due to the danger of the turbines turning in rotation, especially at night when these turbines would not be visible. With the government giving subsidies and incentives to get farm plants built, the price may be decreasing in producing energy, but the upfront cost of having them built and installed is in the millions. This is the biggest risk in wind farms is the cost compared to the energy that will be
Is wind energy an increasing and efficient alternative to fossil fuels? In the article, Wind Power Puffery, H. Sterling Burnett states that wind power is not a reliable source of energy. Burnett exclaims that wind turbines are "noisy, land-intensive, and unsightly" and compares them to highways, industrial buildings, and industrial farms (Burnett 247). Politicians that support wind power argue that turbines will reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The author contrasts these views by informing that turbines indeed pollute the air when they are being built and maintained. Another downfall to wind power is environmental effects. "Lawsuits are either pending or being considered to prevent expansion of wind farms in West Virginia
As awareness of global warming is raised, many alternative actions have been taken to help prevent this problem. Wind energy is one alternative solution that we use today in our society to fight global warming. However, there are many people who are sceptical about how effective this method is. Is wind energy an important part of fighting global warming?
A substantial amount of wind power’s appeal exists in the low amount of environmental impact it has; wind turbines do not produce atmospheric emissions that cause acid rain or greenhouse gasses. If only twenty percent of the nation’s electricity came from wind power, one third of emissions that come from power plants could be eliminated. This fact is potent with worry over global warming still high.
Have you ever driven down highway 30 in west central Iowa at night, looked out the window and seen hundreds of red flashing lights? How about driving through north Lincoln and seeing two enormous white turbines spinning in the wind? If you did not know previously, the red flashing lights at night and white turbines are windmills used for generating power. These windmills can produce 2.5 to 3 megawatts of electricity daily. Wind power can be easily used to generate electric for both personal and public use. Looking at the benefits of wind power over fossil fuels, uses of wind power for personal and public use, and the effects of global warming on wind power, you can decide if using wind energy is a good option or not.
One of the great parts about wind energy is that it has a large amount of positives to the environment and hardly any negative effects. Because wind energy uses the wind for the energy there is no emissions generated from the energy produced. It is estimated that the use of one million kWh of wind power can save around 600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (Saidur, Rahim, Islam, & Solangi, 2011). Therefore, it is easy to see that the widespread use of wind power can help mitigate climate change. This is critical to help stop climate change and the United States is uniquely positioned to be the leader in curbing climate. When the United States starts heavily investing in alternative energy sources other countries will likely follow suit, which will be key to reducing global emissions.
“The potential of wind power is enormous – 20 times more than what the entire human population needs” (Energy Informative). The largest wind turbines can produce enough electricity to power 600 houses. Wind turbines can also be very space-efficient. They can be built on any existing farms, and those farmers are given a lot money as well. “About two billion people worldwide do not have electricity.
"Wind Power." UXL Sustainable Living, edited by Jason M. Everett, vol. 3, UXL, 2016, pp. 648-651. Research in Context, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=MSIC&sw=w&u=leb32560&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX3629600135&it=r&asid=e2c8e9137bdef66492e2fa71aa742953. Accessed 14 Mar.
H. Sterling Burnett's essay, "Wind Power Puffery," looks at the supposed beneficial alternative to burning fossil fuels: wind power. Many environmentalists view wind power as a resourceful way to reduce pollution and greenhouse gasses despite the costly methods. However, the negative aspects of wind farms override the ideal environmental benefits wind power can provide. Wind power is not only expensive, but it is limited, unsightly, and the turbines are killing native birds and bats. Contrary to the belief that wind power improves air pollution, the turbines work only when there is a certain range of wind. Too little wind produces no energy and too much wind causes a potential for the towers to blow down.
Wind Turbines and wind energy have been proven to be helpful, in the fact that it is a renewable resource. There is always a downside to something good, even with something that seems perfect. There are a few downsides to wind turbines themselves, some being environmental problems. I expected
For years the United States has been searching for an efficient form of clean energy. Wind energy has the potential to become the base of sustainable energy for America’s future. Although there are a few disadvantages to wind energy, the protection it offers along with the economical and environmental advantages provide many reasons to use more wind energy and less coal and fossil fuels in America.
We are facing an energy crisis on Earth. Burning fossil fuels are harming the atmosphere; this global warming and affects produces chemicals that hurt our body. People are starting to think about using alternative energy. Wind power would be our first choice, because it’s clean, inexhaustible and renewable. Today, wind power is mainly used in Europe. We believed wind power would be the main source of alternative energy for world use.
Fossil fuels are having great impacts toward nature such as global warming and greenhouse effect. Plus, the depletion of it contributes to the rising price of petroleum. Therefore, wind power rise as it is a source of clean, non-polluting renewable energy (Nash, 2008). This type of energy generation provides us with loads of benefits environmentally and economically.
sources produce, namely pollution, through the formation of CO2, heat, and other waste materials. Once factors such as health problems, global warming, destruction of wilderness and such come into play, wind energy becomes a very