The Benefits of Wind Power

For many, the mention of wind energy conjures images of giant white turbines, their blades slowly rotating, stretching off into the distance with no end in sight. This is how it has been portrayed in pictures, but this is not how wind energy truly looks. Photographs in books and magazines imply that wind energy would require these never ending fields. On the contrary, smaller fields where a limited amount of turbines create all the power needed and more for a city that is nearby, or smaller individual turbines creating enough energy for a home or neighborhood without being obtrusive, is how wind energy truly looks. Wind energy harnesses the power of the wind and converts it to other forms of energy, one of the main known forms being electricity.

Wind is a form of solar energy so when it is used it creates electricity. Electricity is a physical phenomenon associated with fixed or moving electrons and protons. The wind power development was a step forward for the use of electricity on how to generate more electricity using the wind. The accomplishments for electricity is that Senegal used 10MW for a wind farm and they gave a positive report and is now using it since the second half of 2005. (Dodge) Another thing is during the Second World War; small wind generators were used on German U-boats to recharge submarine batteries as a fuel-conserving measure. The good thing about wind power is can produce electricity at night as well as during the day and that it is plentiful, renewable, and it reduces the greenhouse gas emissions. (ERIC) The Wind Power would be cheaper to develop electricity and it is less harm to our daily lives.

In a growing world, electricity production is becoming a problem due to coal fired electrical plants releasing millions of gallons of greenhouse gases, ecological problems with pollution in water, and health risks concerning workers and people living nearby. But with new technology and advances in renewable energy sources, wind energy is becoming one of the most popular energy sources for many states.

Wind energy is not a new technology. People have been harnessing the power of wind for thousands of years all over the world. Ancient Egyptians used wind-powered ships to sail the Nile River and Ancient Persians used an early form of the wind will to grind grain. Nineteenth-century Europeans developed this technology further and wind-powered water pumps were common. Before steam power, the Dutch were

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.

easy to use energy for humanity. Wind power is from the turn of a turbine in the wind that

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.

Did you know that windmills are used to power homes across America? I think wind energy should be used in America, because "Wind power is an increasing valuable source of energy," says Shirley Anne Ramaley.  In other words wind is a reusable source of energy that we can use forever.  Wind energy is a great source of energy, but it can cause a few problems.  Let me tell you a little bit more about wind 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.

Establishing wind power as a major source of electricity can be costly and can have many disadvantages; however, there are many important advantages that can come from wind power as well.

It is a clean, practical alternative that would satisfy the world economy's growing energy demand." Today there are 212 nuclear power plants in the world and the number is expected to rise to 250 in the next five years. Nuclear power already provides 75% of power in France and 20% here in the United States (McQuinn). Like nuclear energy, wind energy is also becoming more popular and efficient. Large wind turbines powered completely by wind gusts generate up to 233 megawatts of power every minute (Roberts 12). Homeowners and farmers can now own their own wind turbines and have their unused energy purchased by energy companies. Wind energy is very popular in Germany especially where at least 33% of the countries energy comes completely from wind turbines (Roberts 13).

Wind power is a clean and renewable energy that, while at times unreliable, has very low upkeep cost and is growing at a rapid rate. While there is currently enough wind power to provide many times our current energy need, it is unfeasible in reality. Wind power utilizes the kinetic energy of air and uses it to power a generator to produce electricity. Even though dependence on wind power is impossible, it still can provide a strong, clean, quantity of power to supplement current energy production.