Essay about Wind Power

“Today, wind energy is very popular in the U.S, Spain, Denmark, and India. It is mostly used in Germany.”[16]“Wind power promises a clean and free source of electricity that would reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and the output of greenhouse gases and other pollution”[1]. That is why wind is one of important source of non-conventional energy. It is very cheap, pollution-free and environmental friendly [2]. “Since wind depends on sun, it is a form of solar energy. As long as the sun shines, there can be wind power, making it unlimited. It is safe for the environment and does not produce any atmospheric emission nor greenhouse gases.”[16] It is called renewable energy because wind will continually be produced as long as the sun shines on the earth. Using wind to create electricity has been around for a long time. Probably anyone had seen windmills on farms. But, windmill on farm can make only small amount of electricity. Wind farms are built in flat, open areas where wind blows at least 14 miles per hour. “To capture this wind, turbines are used to convert the renewable resource into electricity. The kinetic energy is then mechanically processed”[3]. “Fundamentals of wind power technology are rotor, nacelle and tower. The blades are made of aluminum with wooden blades are carved to form an aerodynamic propeller similar in cross-section to an airplane wing. At its simplest, the wind turns the turbine’s blades. These blades then will spin shaft that is connected to a generator that makes electricity. Large turbines can be grouped together to form a wind power plant, which feeds power to the electrical transmission system” [4]. “Power is available from the kinetic energy of the mass of air moving in wind. The amount of energy that wind carries increases by a factor of two as its speed increases and is proportional to the mass of air that passes through the plane of the area swept by the rotors. As power is the product of energy (work) within a given time frame, the power of wind increases by a factor of three as the speed of wind increases. Because of the low density of air (Pair=1.25 kg / m3), the power density of wind is much lower than that of water power (Pwater=1000 kg / m3), for instance. The power that can be harvested from wind is calculated in terms of the swept area -- for a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), the area through which the rotor blades pass. As a result, if the diameter of the rotor blades is doubled, the power increases by a factor of four. The power will increase by a factor of eight when the wind speed doubles” [5]. Why must wind power? Because it is low cost. It can be competitive with nuclear, coal and gas on a level playing field. The wind is free and with modern technology it can be captured efficiently. Also, any agricultural or industrial activities can continue around it. It will not cause any carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases or any pollutants to atmosphere. Area which is not connected to the electricity power grid can use wind turbines to produce their own supply of electricity. It provides a hedge against fuel price volatility. Wind power is very dependable because it does not rely on imported fuels. Wind power provides bulk power equivalent to conventional sources (REH). “The increasing numbers of wind turbines dot the world’s landscape. Wind farm become common place in many countries such as the Unitd States, Canada, and Australia also in countries in Europe”[17]. Many people find wind farms are an interesting feature of the landscape. In addition, wind power technology industry can provide a job to the community. But, on the other hand, wind power technologies also have the bad side too. As an example, because of inconsistency of the wind strength, wind turbine does not produce the same amount of energy all the time. There will be times when they produce no electricity at all. Also, wind turbines are noisy. “Each one can generate the same level of noise as a family

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Essay on Wind Power

Wind Power Research Paper