Benefits of Wind - Final Draft

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In a world where fossil fuels are not only polluting our atmosphere, but quickly running out, a new, clean source of energy is vitally important to the survival of the world as we know it. Wind power is by far the best option. Not only is it clean, but is abundant, sustainable, and not that expensive. Though solar, hydro, and geothermal are important to the bottom line, wind energy is what will eventually save the world.

Fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) are use to supply the world with most of its energy. Not only do they pollute the air we breathe, causing many respiratory and other ailments, they also produce pollutants that harm the environment: plants, animals, and the water supply. When fossil fuels are burned, they release harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is the principal cause of Global Warming today. In addition, fossil fuels are non-renewable. In other words, no more are being made, so eventually the world will run out of these energy sources. This may happen sooner than many people think, even more of a reason for moving to a cleaner, more efficient source of energy.

Wind is abundant. The power of wind can be felt worldwide. In the United States alone the three wind rich states of North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas have enough wind to power the entire country’s electrical needs. In addition, the Interior Department of the US reports that offshore wind could also meet 100% of US electricity demand. Wind power is also clean. It produces no harmful carbon dioxide so using it will not harm the atmosphere. Plus it is sustainable, besides maintenance on turbines all that are needed are the globe’s abundant winds. Beside the cost of initial set up and maintenance of turbines, it is also free. In fact, it is the least expensive renewable fuel source, generating one kilowatt hour for only 5 cents. Solar, hydro, and geothermal energies are all important parts of the earth’s energy future, but wind is by far the smartest. Not only can it be used for large-scale wind farms connected into the power grid, but home and business owners can also take advantage of small wind turbines to power their houses or businesses.

This is a map showing the current output of the United States in megawatts (1000 kilowatts). California and Texas are the largest producers of wind energy, while the white states do not produce any wind power. This wind energy only accounts for under 2% of US energy. With the potential for three states or off shore wind to produce all of the nation’s electricity, this is an enormous shortfall. By 2030 the American Wind Energy Association wants to raise the percentage of wind power use to 30%, but the US can do a lot better. If the world doubles its wind electricity capacity every two years then by 2020 the world can be generating three million megawatts of wind generated power. This will greatly reduce the need to use harmful fossil fuels to power the world, someday hopefully eliminating the use of fossil fuels altogether.

This is the wind resource potential for the United States. As you can see, the mid western states (encircled) have outstanding potential for harnessing the winds energy. In addiction the waters off of the New England states and areas along the Appalachians and in California could produce a great deal of wind energy. This demonstrates the enormous potential the US has with regards to wind power. If wind farms were erected in these outstanding potential areas the US could greatly reduce its use of fossil fuels.

Wind turbines are fairly simple. They basically work the opposite of a fan. The wind turns the propellers which are connected to a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. They can either be connected to the power grid, as most large-scale wind farms are, or they can power a single home or building as in small-scale use. By connecting all the wind farms into the power grid, power can be shared across state and eventually nation lines. That way everyone worldwide has access to clean, sustainable energy.

As of 2008, there were more than 80 wind farms across the United States. Another 20 or so are in the proposal phase. Out of the seven largest, three are in California, three in Texas, and the last in Indiana. The two largest, in California, each produce more than one terawatt (one billion kilowatts) of energy each year. These wind farms typically use horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). HAWTs are what are typically thought of when thinking of wind mills. They are a tower with one, two, or, more commonly, three blades that turn when they catch the wind. Wind farms across the US contain anywhere from a few to over a hundred wind mills. Wind farms can be profitable for farmers to invest it because they do not take up much land, so they can sell the power they make to the power company, and still continue to farm their land, dramatically increasing the profit made from the land.

Wind mills can also be used on a more small-scale basis. Individual buildings can have wind mills installed in addition to energy and environmentally considerate homeowners. With residential wind use, the turbine is typically wired into the home and onto the grid. When the turbine is working, excess power is sold back to the electric company. When the wind levels drop to a lower speed the home may need to pull energy from the grid. Residential wind users can choose from a variety of wind turbine types, but many prefer vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) mainly because they are smaller and function in wind coming from any direction. In addition, the cost is relatively low when considering electricity bills generally drop 50 to 90 percent. Each wind turbine can cost roughly 6 to 22 thousand dollars depending on type, manufacturer, and size. Usually they are closer to six thousand. Usually the initial cost is recouped within 15 years. In addition, the property value rises. This is a small price to pay for turning to clean, sustainable energy.

In addition to the United States, countries worldwide are turning to wind power. In the European Union, Germany is leading the way with its wind capacity. Many other countries, like Spain and Denmark are not far behind. Other countries are also turning to wind power. India is generating almost 10 KWh per year and is looking to add to that number. Japan has four farms with more than ten turbines each. China more than doubled its wind capacity from 2005-2007 and continues to add more. Other prominent countries include Canada, Brazil, Morocco, the Philippines, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. The rest of the word should seriously consider wind power. It is clean, sustainable, and inexpensive. Plus, wind turbines can be mass produced on assembly lines, supplying unemployed skilled workers with jobs worldwide. Basically, turning to wind power is a win-win situation for the entire world.

Overall, using more wind power is one of the smartest steps the world can take in reducing the use of fossil fuels. It is clean, abundant, sustainable, and inexpensive. Not only can it be used through large-scale wind farms, but it can also be used by home and business owners for individual buildings. By doing so, people eventually save money, but more importantly, by using clean energy we can save the world. When we eliminate the need for fossil fuels we can eliminate harmful pollutants that poison the air and contribute to Global Warming.

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Benefits of Wind - Final Draft - Presentation Transcript

Hollyann Martin ENG 102: Composition II
Air Pollution Carbon Emissions Non-renewable
Abundant Clean Sustainable Inexpensive
Click here to view an animation of how a wind turbine turns wind into electricity.
Windmills south of Dumas, TX Fenton Wind Farm near Chandler, MN San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm in California
(Left) A wind turbine A wind farm in mountainous being worked on in Galicia, Spain. Halle, Germany. (Right) The Wakamatsu Wind Farm in Kitakyushu, Japan.
 Brown, Lester R., Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 2008. p 239-243.  http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/printable_versions/wi nd_animation.html  http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html#Howdoresidentialwindturbi neswork  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_farm#European_Union  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_States#Wi nd_power_by_state  http://www.gogreenman.com/education/windenergy.htm  http://greenlivingideas.com/wind-energy/the-benefits-of-wind- power  http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/fossilfuels.htm  http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/dept-of-interior-offshore- wind-could-meet-100-of-us-demand/