| Wind Basics |
| Wind power is a renewable energy
provided by nature. It is, perhaps, the most simple natural resource available to
us. Wind energy involves the conversion of the kinetic energy of the wind
into either mechanical energy or electricity. Wind energy is attractive because it
is a pollution-free and is certainly renewable. This conversion required no fuel
and does not produce any greenhouse gasses. To say that wind energy is safe and
environmentally friendly is an understatement. |
| Wind is a form of solar energy. Air
pockets heated by the sun form positive pressure areas which move toward cooler
negative pressure zones. It is this uneven temperature that cause the air to move,
making wind. There is a lot of energy in the wind. In its most violent form,
tornadoes, the moving air can pull trees out of the ground and destroy entire
cities. Using wind to do useful work is an old practice. Wind mills have
been used to grind grain and pump water for over 2000 years. Converting wind power
to electricity, however, is a rather new scheme. Efficient and cost
effective wind generators have only been developed within the last 15 years.
|
| About 2,000 Megawatts of
electricity is currently being generated in the United States by the wind. The
figure reaches about 10,000 Megawatts world wide. As the technology improves, the
installed cost per kilowatt hour should be able to compete with power plants
burning fossil fuel. Currently it costs about $0.05 per kilowatt hour from wind
sources. Since the wind energy systems do not demand any water or produce any
pollution, they are considerably more environmental friendly than conventional
power plants. That is one of the reasons that wind is now the fastest growing
energy resource. World wide, the equivalent electrical power of 10 medium size
coal fired power plants are being supplied by the wind. |
| All of the major wind energy sites
or wind farms, use large arrays of medium size wind turbines that are carefully
positioned in windy locations. Giant wind turbines do exist but they tend to be
less cost effective than many smaller units. The electricity they produce is
generally connected to the electrical power grid. When the wind blows, the extra
power generated allows the utility companies to cut back on the amount of fossil
fuels burned. |
| Some areas of the U.S. are
especially wind energy rich. Areas that have both high wind zones and large
expanses of flat land are especially valuable. One source claims that if all the
potential wind energy in the state of North Dakota were to be developed, it could
produce about 60% of the electrical needs of the entire U.S. I concluded
that there are many positive reasons to build more wind energy sites. |
