Wind Power

The requirement for energy is expected to increase into the foreseeable future, with much of this current and future demand for energy being in the form of electricity. More media and public attention than ever is being directed toward discussion of viable alternatives to our existing energy sources. The world electrical energy demand is forecasted to grow by at least 3% annually through 2020. As in much of the world, the United States is developing new sustainable (sometimes referred to as renewable) energy sources to augment the current sources of coal, nuclear, and natural gas power plants. One of the [Page 947]most economical and technically feasible forms of sustainable electrical energy is derived from wind.

Wind energy has been used since ancient times to directly perform mechanical tasks, such as pumping water for irrigation or grinding grain for flour. A better use of the energy stored in wind is to convert the mechanical energy into electrical form because electricity provides a convenient, high-quality form of energy that can be transported over long distances. Current technology uses highly specialized turbines and associated electrical conversion electronics and controls to harness the available wind energy and make it available as electricity. The increasing costs of energy and the increasing demand for electricity have helped create a favorable environment for wind energy expansion. The cost of wind power generation is 4 cents to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour (/kWh), which compares favorably with newly installed coal-fired power generating plants. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has a stated target of 20% of the nation's electricity being generated from wind sources by the year 2030. The 20% generation goal represents a large increase over the current power generation of 16 gigawatts (GW) to over 300 GW. A large amount of information concerning wind power is available on the DOE Web site.

The advantages of wind generation are numerous. Modern power plants require large amounts of cooling water. Coal-fired plants also emit various nitrous and sulfurous gasses, as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) and some heavy metals such as mercury. Wind turbines do not require any water for their operation and have no metal or gas emissions, hence providing a very clean and environmentally sound form of electricity production. Many areas of the country that have good wind resources are sparsely populated. People living in these rural and remote areas can often benefit economically from wind energy development through increased local tax revenue, land lease payments, and job creation during construction and installation, as well as the potential for local manufacturing and maintenance jobs.

A major disadvantage associated with wind energy is that it is an intermittent source. Typically stronger winds blow in the winter, whereas larger electrical demands occur in the summer months due to air conditioning and irrigation. Currently, there are no technologies available to store large amounts of electrical energy for use on demand. Other issues of concern are related to the noise created by the rotating turbine blades, the potential for bird and bat strikes, and the visual effects on the landscape, including that in coastal regions (for offshore installations). Another potential disadvantage is that wind resources are often in remote areas that have few if any electrical transmission lines nearby, though the lack of transmission infrastructure is beginning to be addressed.

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