Argumentative Essay On Wind Energy

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

The energy crisis is nothing new. For too long America has put off and ignored a critically relevant and ever-growing problem; a problem that is at the heart of ongoing issues, which include the condition of our environment, the downturn of our economy, and the state of our national security. For the past thirty-five years, promises have ben made, plans have failed, and the problem still remains. Said President Richard Nixon, in his State of the Union Address in January of 1974. “Let this be our national goal: At the end of this decade, in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need to provide our jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep our transportation moving.” Something needs to be done. America needs to turn to a new, healthier and more efficient source of energy.

According to research done by Discovery News, in January 25, 2013, the top 10 countries, by order of most demand and use of wind energy, are: China, United States, Germany, Spain, India, Italy, France, Canada, Brazil, and Denmark. All of these countries are investing money in wind turbine projects because, in the long run, it is going to benefit them from both the economic and ecofriendly point of view (Discovery News). In addition to these top ten countries in the world, there are more countries that have, or are, investing in these types of projects, since this is the future and correct path for the use Renewable Energy as a replacement for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are harming the environment to the point where in a short amount of time it is going to be almost impossible to live on Earth because of the catastrophic changes the pollution will cause. (Environmental and Energy Study Institute). The controversies caused in

One of the fastest growing energy sources in the world, wind power is a globally advantageous renewable resource.

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.

The cause for this great rate of growth in wind power is contributed to tax incentives and state laws mandating renewable energy research. The nation 's total Wind power production is relatively low but some states like Iowa are investing in it heavily. Wind power produces 4.7 percent of the United States electrical energy and makes up over thirty percent of Iowa 's energy (American Wind Energy Association). Wind energy is gaining a lot of traction in northern states but almost does not exist in the southern states. When it comes to reliability wind energy is inferior to Hydropower. In order for a wind turbine to work wind speeds need to be around 8-55 mph and they are only efficient at wind speeds above 30 mph, anything below that minimal (National Wind Watch). This makes wind turbines less reliable because the wind can vary wildly throughout a day. Wind power also comes with some environmental impacts too. Wind Turbines kill tens of thousands of birds a year do to Turbines essentially being giant metal fans (Hosansky). Bats are especially affected because they rely on echolocation to see and giant moving blades confuse them into running into the blades.

Another benefit to wind energy is the environmental offset it has on more local environments that traditional energy sources are destroying. Oil, gas, and coal power plants destroy local environments by polluting the water and soil and wasting tons of water. Wind energy will mitigate this problem because Wind power does not require any water and only requires a very small land footprint. This will not only save us from environmental harms from the water and soil it will also help prevent droughts and increase the water available to us. This is particularly critical when we have places like California that are running bone dry currently. Thermoelectric power plants (majority of coal, nuclear,

Wind can play a major role in the solution to global warming. Constantly, the wind is blowing and is being wasted. Wind is also a domestic, unlimited energy source that produces no emissions, requires no fuel, and consumes no natural resources. Wind is relatively immune to inflation because it does not rely on any other fuel source. No single energy source can alone meet the USA’s electricity needs, and wind is making a steadily growing part to our electricity supply.

One of the fastest growing forms of energy in the United States is wind energy. How does wind energy work? Bergey Windpower describes it like this, the wind turbine, which is installed on top of a tall tower, collects wind energy and converts it into electricity. The turbine output is then made electrically compatible with the utility and the output is fed into the household wiring at the breaker panel (Bergey). In 2013, the United States used more energy than any year before but we used it more efficiently than before as well (Danko). 12 states are responsible for most of the wind energy used in the US last year, with Texas topping that list using using a total 36 million megawatt hours, MWh (GENI). There are some bad things that go along with wind energy though, for instance in order to get the metal that we need to make these massive wind turbines we have some serious consequences. A few repercussions from that is that we destroy vegetation, produce a lot of CO2, and we also kill birds that fly into them. Wind energy is also very expensive to start up and may not be worth it in the long run of things.

In this day and age, we have new energy sources that could be used to power our homes and transportation. Wind and solar power are used all over the world, but are still used far less than fossil fuels. Most would say it’s not reliable or it doesn’t make any profit. While both statements are true, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a better future using renewable energy. In fact, the only reason we don’t use renewables for everything is that we don’t want to change. The hard truth is we need to change. Fossil fuels are great right now, but if we run out, humanity must have another source of energy.

“A wind turbine is a machine for converting the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy”. (1) The inventor of the first electric wind turbine was Clevelander Charles Brush, who ran his entire Euclid Avenue mansion off of one for 20 years, which later made the cover of Scientific American in 1888. (2) Although the use of alternate energy didn't rise a great deal afterward, this event did open the eyes for many environmentalists. Wind power is only one of our several “energy source[s] whose ‘fuel’ is free and will never be exhausted” (3) with the pros and cons not completely weighed out as to whether it will be truly beneficial or not. The two main issues regarding wind turbines are the environmental effects that they have and the

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.

Wind Energy is a viable industry that has become a valuable energy source. The energy generated from wind is clean and efficient. The wind energy industry helps to ensure that electric demands are met, wildlife impact is minimal, the environment is not devastated, as well as creates new jobs during the construction of wind farms, daily operations, manufacturing components, and exporting components to foreign countries.

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.

While wind power is currently more expensive per unit of energy (the initial cost of construction is spread across a turbine’s lifetime, generally around 20-30 years) than alternatives such as coal; wind power lacks the negative externalities that other energy