The Benefits of Wind Power

Flash Player 9 (or above) is needed to view presentations.
We have detected that you do not have it on your computer. To install it, go here.

more share options
Embed For WordPress.com

Without related presentations

Fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) are use to supply the world with most of its energy. Not only do they pollute the air we breath, 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 world wide. 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. 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.

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 he 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 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.

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.

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.

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 that one terawatt (one billion kilowatts) of energy each year. These wind farms typically use horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). HAWTs are what is 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 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 tubine can cost roughly 6 to 22 thousand dollars depending on type, manufacturer, and size. Usually they are closer to the six thousand side. Usually the initial cost is recouped within 15 years. In addition, the property value raises. A small price to pay for turning to clean, sustainable energy.

In addition to the United States, countries world wide 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 world wide. Basically, turning to wind power is a win-win situation for the entire world.

Favorites, Groups & Events

The Benefits of Wind Power - 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/