The Present and Potential of Wind Power

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.

Economically, wind power is cost effective. Costing between ten and eleven cents per kilowatt-hour, it is one of the lowest-priced

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.

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.

As mentioned above, there are a couple of factors that will help to provide some context for the discussion of wind power – we will start with a cost per megawatt (MW) comparison of wind power to some other common energy production methods. A recent article by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides some insight on this for the near future – giving estimates on energy costs for power plants in the year 2019, in what the paper calls the Estimated Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), in US dollar per megawatt hour or $/MWh. Wind power is estimated to cost 80.3 $/MWh. When this is compared to the estimations for coal, natural gas, and nuclear power generation (estimated to cost 95.6, from 49-70, and 96.1 $/MWh respectively), it does match well against

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.

With wind power not being a fossil fuel it has its many advantages for beings used. Wind power allows there to be free renewable resource. We will never run out of wind. Wind is abundant in amount and constantly around us. Taking advantage what we already have is the smartest thing one can do. Don’t you remember the saying, “Use what your momma gave ya.” Well how about we apply that to nature. Another great thing about wind power is that it doesn’t release any environmental emissions. There is not sewage or smog coming out of these machines, making the environment safer against pollution. In 1990, California’s wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion lbs of CO2 and

Scientists, nowadays, are concerned about the limitation of fossil fuels worldwide. It means some country whose electricity is most produced by fossil fuels may have the energy crisis in the future. However, other countries, use wind as an energy resource, not have to worry about the situation because wind power is infinite. What actually happens is sun’s heat causes the air to warm up in patches. In a result, some patches of air become warm while other patches remain cold. Hot air gets lighter in weight hence leaves it place and move towards upside, colder air patches are bit heavier there for their rushes to fill up the space that is left unoccupied by heated air, and this process generates wind. Because the sun will not be destroyed in a short time, we will have to wind for such a long time. Thus, wind power has infinite source supply (Solarpowernotes). The infinity of wind makes wind power a endless energy

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

One of the main contributors of the increasing demand for energy is the fast global economic growth. Other conventional fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas which have been a key source of energy since industrial revolution, are not only facing depletion but they have become a source of concern regarding its serious adverse effect on our environment (Abbassi, Premalatha, Abbassi & Abbassi,2013). Hence, the pursuit to develop renewable and clean energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydro power is energy needed. Wind power is considered as one of the cleanest sources of energy, with mild impacts on the environment, on wildlife and on human life, as far as the production of electricity from modern wind turbines is concerned (Leung &Yang,2011).

This report provides an overview on wind energy. The advantages of off shore wind power over onshore wind power. It also compares the cost of offshore wind farms over other renewable energy sources. The amount of greenhouse gases produced by off shore wind is low compared to coal fired power stations.

With the increasing needs of energy and the decreasing non-renewable resources and the soaring prices of non-renewable resources the world is turning towards renewable energy for the energy crisis solution. One of the leading renewable sources that is overtaking the market is WIND ENERGY. Countries across the world are developing new techniques for increasing the output from wind energy. Few of the leading countries are China, United States, India, United Kingdom, and Germany. Huge wind farms across the world are springing up and helping solve the energy crisis.

During the course of history, this country has been seeking new forms of energy that will provide clean energy and also preserve Earth 's lifespan. The use of renewable and non-renewable resources has been a major controversy throughout history; renewable energy such as wind power has been the main focus of this issue. Many would believe wind energy is the best renewable power source because it is the cleanest and most efficient, whereas, others view wind energy as a time bomb that will soon destroy the planet. Alternative energy sources should replace non-renewable energy with wind energy.

In the 21st Century, fossil fuels are becoming increasingly important, with the demand for these resources increasing, despite the knowledge that they are finite. Globally, the annual consumption of fossil fuels is eleven billion tonnes, with crude oil reserves waning at a rate of four billion tonnes per year. If these figures experience little change in coming years, oil reserves are estimated to completely deplete by 2052 (Ecotricity.co.uk, 2014). Other options are available to replace non-renewable energy sources, one of these options being wind turbines, as they are the obvious option to be used as energy sources as wind is without charge. Wind power requires harnessing energy from the wind, and using it to generate electricity. According to Blue-energyco.com (2014), wind power generation is the fastest growing renewable energy source universally, as evidenced by the growth rate which stands at 25% in over a decade with the total capacity currently exceeding 60 000 MW (Fox, B. (2007) Wind power integration, page 1).

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.