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Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy: REVEALED
Author: Jim Martin
Like any other form of energy, wind energy has immediate and obvious advantages but also some drawbacks. Therefore any decision to install wind energy generators must take into account these different factors.
Wind machines and wind turbines can effectively generate energy as electricity for free as long as the wind is available. Because wind is free and renewable, wind turbines generate clean and renewable energy, which already gives it an immense advantage compared to be contaminating fossil fuel plants that have already done so much damage to the earth's ecology. In addition modern technology means that wind turbines can automatically adjust their blades to maximize the use of wind even if the direction changes.
In different parts of the U.S., large wind energy installations are being created. In Texas for example the Horse Hollow wind energy center is already powering more than 220,000 homes in the neighborhood. This is done through the 421 wind turbines that are in the park. In addition to this, testing of wind turbines and wind machines can be done in places such as the wind park just off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It is the first of its kind and likely to be a forerunner of many others.
The immense advantage of wind power that many people see is its cheapness once the initial installation has been made and the fact that using it does not depend on any imported fuel. This is a big advantage compared to fossil fuels such as oil, which the U.S. imports heavily from other countries and therefore must pay for with a considerable part of the national budget.
Wind energy therefore is independent of any particular producer and available to anyone in the country who wishes to use it. Because it is not generated by any particular mechanism specific to any particular country, but rather by the overall effect of the sun's rays falling on our planet and the way that the earth continually turns on its axis, wind energy is therefore a truly democratic means of generating electricity.
The cost of electricity for wind turbines can be as little as 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. In making this calculation it is necessary to take into account the financing for the initial installation of the project and also the site selection in terms of the amount of wind available and therefore the amount of electricity that can be generated. However together with other renewable energy of such as solar energy wind energy is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy anywhere on earth.
In farms and ranches where wind is abundantly available, wind turbine towers can be installed to satisfy a continual demand for low cost electricity. Individual power suppliers also come to business arrangements with farmers renting a few square yards of land to be able to erect towers and generate electricity.
It is perhaps the initial cost of wind turbines, which is the main factor in any financial calculation. Although the initial cost has been reduced over the years, it is still a major factor in terms of installing wind turbines compared with conventional generators. For this reason fossil fuel may still attract investment for some cases.
Wind power is also clearly dependent on the availability of the wind itself. Sites need to be chosen where there is as continual a supply of wind as possible. It should also be remembered that natural phenomena such as tsunamis can have dramatic effects on the weather patterns of any area and therefore of the wind supply and velocity.
Because wind parks need a lot of wind and because towns and cities are often constructed in more sheltered areas there is also the problem of making such renewable energy available to city dwellers. Often the installation of electric cables to carry the electricity from the source to the destination is not a profitable activity.
Environmentally, wind turbines to need to make progress in terms of both their appearance, which can be a blot on the landscape and also the noise that they make. Environmentalists are concerned that the harm of the wind turbines may be a distinct disturbing factor on the surrounding ecology.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-wind-energy-revealed-856924.html
About the Author
Jim Martin is a researcher, inventor, home energy consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Earth 4 Electricity- Renewable Energy Made Easy". To Learn More about Jim Martin´s Unique Step By Step Solar and Wind Power System Visit: Earth 4 Electricity. For further information visit: Wind Power Generation - UNCOVERED
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facts on wind energy?
please help asap
i need some interesting facts on wind Energy
thanks
provide facts and figures&analyse the opportunities and challenges that wind energy companies face in setting?
what are type of challenges are needed for wind farms in india for setting them up in india?
Facts and Inquires About Windmills And Wind Energy?
I need the risk, benefits, usefulness, sustainability, cost, profiency, etc of windmills and wind energy. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know quotes or facts about wind energy from the experts?
I am doing a project on wind energy and i need some quotes or facts from experts if you have any it would be very helpful.
-Thanks
Facts About Wind Energy?
The American Wind Energy Association has a great website you could use to look up quotes or facts: http://www.awea.org/
we are limited to ?? how many characters per answer on this forum
your answer would require several books
beyond the scope of this forum
Guru
The ideal conditions for wind power at your home is a minimum of an acre of property and at least 10 feet higher than anything within 300 feet, such as trees and power lines.
Here are the pros of wind energy, taken from Natural Home magazine. Wind energy can lower electricity bills by 50-90 percent. With rising natural gas prices, wind power is cheaper than conventional because its prices remain fixed. Xcel Energy reports that in fall 2005—when natural gas prices soared—homes using 100 percent Windsource energy saved an average of $10 per month over a similar home using conventional power. Federal incentives are available, http://www.dsireusa.org
Natural Home magazine says that the disadvantages are cost, location and zoning regulations. There are no federal tax credits for homes with wind systems. Because the wind is unpredictable, rooftop turbines are less productive than towers. The cost is extreme, $35,000 to $40,000 depending on the location.
Here is an informative article from Natural Home magazine http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/Inspiration/2006-07-01/NUTS–BOLTS.aspx
The primary factor that I’m aware of for wind farms to be economically feasible is that you need an area that has a constant, average wind speed of 12 mph. The next challenge is how far is this area from the population center that you’re trying to supply, and do you have the means of constructing the transmission lines that are then required.
I would think that the northern parts of India, the sub-Himalayan areas, would be ideal, but how far would the power then have to be transmitted for use.
Hey Houston, kind of a broad question, but I’ll try to help. Wind energy has been in use for a little over 1000 years on earth. In Europe, it was originally used to grind grain and pump water. In the Netherlands, the rich fertile soil was covered by water much of the year, and people figured out if they could drain the small amount that kept collecting there, they would have access to fantastic agriculture. Today the Netherlands is home of probably the largest number of active wind turbines per person. They have an offshore farm with 26 wind turbines powering part of their grid. They still employ pumps to maintain their below sea level lifestyle, but the pumps are primarily fed electricity from the wind turbines
New turbines today are larger and more efficient than just 10 years ago, and that is what has brought them from the back yard farmers field to the mainstream. There are literally dozens of wind farms in the US alone today in operation, and more being built, because they are economically feasible. We live in a home that is powered by the wind and sun, has been for 10 years now. The utility companies have figured out what some of us have known all along. Once you build a wind turbine, it looks really good on the balance sheet, and it never matters what happens to the price of oil after it goes up. Wind power is doubling about every 3 years right now, so by 2020, it should make up about 25% of our global utility power. It’s variability is not nearly the issue it has been claimed to be, because the wind is always blowing someplace, by installing wind farms in the best locations and connecting all of them to the same grid, we can have a fairly constant supply, and a predictable one looking ahead a day or two. If there is one thing you can learn from this forum by reading through your answers and others on the subject, it’s that there is a lot of misinformation about renewable energy. I’m always amazed how people are willing to put in their opinion on subjects like wind and solar, but have never actually owned or operated a wind turbine or solar panel.
If you really want good information, I would go to some of the non profit groups and government websites on the subject instead of asking hacks like me online. I will list some places below that are worth looking into. Good luck Houston, and take care, Rudydoo