Environmental Chemistry

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

Wind turbines have altered the way that we get our energy. Wind turbines are used to harness wind power and turn into electricity. They are comprised of usually 2 or 3 blades that are connected to a shaft that was attached to a generator which then turns into electricity. Although we now generally use it to produce electricity, wind energy was originally used in the form of windmills to do chores and housework. Because of the rapid increase in the use of wind turbines, it has added jobs and changed the way we get energy.

Imagine getting free electricity, or electrical company’s paying you instead of you paying them, today’s windmills just might make this possible. Windmills dating back as far as the 1400’s have been used to turn wind into useable energy for grinding and pumping. Today’s windmills turn turbines to make electricity. They are popping up all over the United States, but the United States is way behind other countries in the development of wind energy. Countries like Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom are investing billions of dollars into wind energy, including off shore wind farms. Germany is holding the top spot in the production of wind-generated electricity. Denmark, being one of the smaller countries in Europe, produces twenty percent

Wind powered machines are developed by the Babylonians. King Hammurabi of Babylon used wind powered scoops to irrigate Mesopotamia. Aside from irrigation and drainage, windmills were also used to ground grain, but maybe later on in history. This is just another advancement making work easier, yet more productive for mankind.

Medieval Warm Period and The Little Ice Age The Medieval Warm Period and The Little Ice Age share a few common denominators. They were both caused partly by the ocean currents changing, and both of these events occurred in the northern hemisphere. The Little Ice Age was considered to be “harsh”, having the winters last for long a period of times, and the summers cool and wet, whereas the Medieval Warm Period was considered to be a more difficult time to describe, considering that there has not been much research done about it.

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.

People all around the world believe that wind power would be more efficient than burning fossil fuels, however; it causes more problems than what most people know. As H. Sterling Burnett begins in his article Wind Power Puffery, he states, "But is tis assertion correct? No, the truth is wind power's environmental benefits are usually overstated, while its significant environmental harms are often ignored" (Burnett 247). Having wind power may have little benefits, however; people fail to realize that they are not as great as the seem. Often throughout the article Burnett would talk about the wind turbines and how they were a problem for not only migrating birds and bats but the amount of land they consume as well. At night the bats fail to see

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.

Today, we have what is known as wind turbines. These large structures are used as a renewable and free energy source. The way a wind turbine works is very simple. As the wind blows, it moves the blades, which then turns a generator and makes electricity. These wind turbines are only a small source of energy because they work about 65 to 90 percent of the time. When many wind turbines are placed together in one area, it is known as a wind farm. The majority of wind farms are found in Texas and California. Wind farms are hoped to be spread all across the country to become a more prominent source of energy that is not only renewable, but also free.

People used windmills back as early as 5000 B.C. They were pumping water and helping grind grain. In the 11th century, windmills became assets to farmers by helping food production. The idea spread, and along with helping food production, it also helped pump water, which, after much modification, became able to generate electricity. Daniel Halladay was the first person to design a wind turbine in the US. He did it in Connecticut, and the windmill became successful and helpful on farms. Wind turbines have gotten bigger over time, allowing them to generate more electricity due to the fact that they harness more energy with bigger rotors. Governments started to advance technologies, and once they teamed up with NASA, it led them to create a wind

Wind turbines can be placed on land or water, and can be placed at different altitudes, making the search for wind farm locations easy. Wind farms can be placed on traditional farms as well.

The second major negative effect is on wildlife. Although wind turbines are effect alternative energy that used to generated electricity, the hidden threat is a devastating wildlife such as bird and bat collision with the turbine. Bird and bat fly through space at a low pressure; therefore, make birds and bats lose balance in flight. A study analysis shows that 20-40 birds are exterminated by the wind turbines each year (Rosenbloom, 2006). The construction of wind turbines resulted in the diversity and population of the birds and bats decrease, it never come back again after start to use the wind turbine. Though wind turbine is not located directly on the food. Notwithstanding the impact of wind turbines is not a major problem, if neglected

This research topic involves the study of environmental science. The following characteristics of wind power and hydropower will be discussed: background information that includes definitions and previous research, how wind

Within this paper I wish to address two audiences, the first is best described as local homeowners who are presently in the vicinity of windmills or who will be in the future, and are somewhat skeptical of this renewable energy source. The second group that I wish to address are those who are deemed to be environmentalists, who have a very strong faith in wind energy and other forms of renewables. Since these two audiences can be quite different the way in which I address concerns are going to have to be comprehensive to both.

“According to the U.S. Department of Energy , In 1990, California’s wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced” (Wind). However, there are concerns about the noise that is produced from the blades, and the fact that birds, or other small flying animals can fly into the blades and die. Another small issue with wind power is that it is often available only in remote or offshore locations. As a whole, these concerns are minimal compared to the benefits that can be reaped.