Wind Energy

Introduction

Windmills have used wind energy to pump water and grind grains. The modern windmills called ‘wind turbines’ use wind energy to generate electricity. Wind turbines are mounted 100 feet or more above ground to catch the wind’s energy with their propeller-like blades.

Wind speed improves with elevation as the power in wind varies with temperature and altitude. Wind resource is seasonal and has daily variations in speed. In order to serve large populations of people with wind-powered electricity, wind farms are built.

Advantages of Wind Energy

• Wind energy can generate electricity at the source and so it need not be mined or transported.
• Electricity generated from wind energy has become cost-effective; the cost has fallen nearly 40 cents per KwH in 1980 to 2.5-5 cents per KwH today or about 75%.
• Wind power is a clean source of energy. Wind turbines do not produce any emissions that contribute to global climate change and acid rain.
• Wind farms do not impact crop production or animal grazing as they are spaced over large geographic areas.

Disadvantages of Wind Energy

• Wind energy is a variable resource. Since the wind turbines generate electricity only when the wind blows, the production has to be monitored and compensated.
• Wind turbines are noisy.
• Fatalities of wildlife from collision with wind turbines have severe environmental impact.
• Transportation is an issue with wind farms in remote locations such as deserts and coastlines, where the electric grid is inaccessible.

Future of Wind Power

Wind power is getting cost competitive with technological improvements and growth in demand for renewable energy sources. With the voluntary green markets and utility green pricing programs, wind power development has expanded quickly.

According to The World Wind Association, global wind capacity will increase in size to 120,000 MW by 2010 from 100,000 MW in 2008. In global wind power development, the U.S. is ranked third.

Reference