Wind Power
Wind power is plentiful, renewable, clean, and produces no green house
gas emissions. It is the fastest growing energy source in the world today.
World wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and
2006. In 2007, the countries with the highest total installed capacity were
Germany, the United States, Spain, India, and China.
Wind is caused by uneven temperatures within our atmosphere. Warm air
rises causing other air to come replace it. The replacing of air is what we call
wind. We can use this wind to create energy by using wind turbines. A wind
turbine is simply a tower with propellers. Wind is used to turn these propellers
which causes a generator to turn and produce electricity.
The main concern with wind farms is location, location, location. Even
though you will never be guaranteed a certain amount of energy, the location
of wind farms can predict whether they will be beneficial or not. The amount
of power produced by wind farms is based on 3 main factors, the amount on
turbines, the size of the propellers, and most importantly the amount of wind
in the area. Wind farms are most beneficial on coastal areas and on the tops
of hills where the average wind speed is greater than 25 km/h.
gas emissions. It is the fastest growing energy source in the world today.
World wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and
2006. In 2007, the countries with the highest total installed capacity were
Germany, the United States, Spain, India, and China.
Wind is caused by uneven temperatures within our atmosphere. Warm air
rises causing other air to come replace it. The replacing of air is what we call
wind. We can use this wind to create energy by using wind turbines. A wind
turbine is simply a tower with propellers. Wind is used to turn these propellers
which causes a generator to turn and produce electricity.
The main concern with wind farms is location, location, location. Even
though you will never be guaranteed a certain amount of energy, the location
of wind farms can predict whether they will be beneficial or not. The amount
of power produced by wind farms is based on 3 main factors, the amount on
turbines, the size of the propellers, and most importantly the amount of wind
in the area. Wind farms are most beneficial on coastal areas and on the tops
of hills where the average wind speed is greater than 25 km/h.
- Wind is free, wind farms need no fuel.
- Produces no waste or greenhouse gases.
- The land beneath can usually still be used for farming.
- Wind farms can be tourist attractions.
- A good method of supplying energy to remote areas.
Sources "Energy Resources: Wind." Energy Resources. 12 Feb. 2008. 04 July 2008 <http://home.clara.net/darvill/altenerg/wind.htm>. "Wind Power." Wikipedia. 30 June 2008. 03 July 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power>. |