Wind Energy

A collection of wind turbines all in the same location and used for the generation of electricity is termed as wind farm. Some of the largest wind farms in the world can be found in the United States, three of them are located in California. These include Altamont Pass, San Gorgonio Pass and Tehachapi Pass. The Stateline Wind Project, the largest US wind farm situated in Oregon-Washington line has a peak capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity. Accordingly, the California wind farms have many different owners and turbine types. They have built, retrofitted and occasionally dismantled since they were first installed in late 1982. Three of these areas are seeing renewed growth in 2005.

There are two proposed wind farms which have had difficult approval in Massachusetts. In New York, there is another 40-turbine offshore wind power installation proposal in the ocean off Jones Beach, Long Island. This proposal has the support of a number of local and national environmental groups and Long Island Power Authority and the Governor of New York. Also, the first coastal wind farm was launched in New Jersey in December 2005. However, as of May 31, 2006, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has stopped construction at 15 midwest wind farm projects because of concerns onits interference with military radar.

Today, wind energy is considered as the world's fastest-growing energy technology. In the United States alone, there are 9,149 megawatts of wind generating capacity. As explained by the US Department of Energy, wind energy or wind power is the process by which the wind is used to make mechanical pwer or what we call electricity. In this sense, the kinetic energy from the wind is converted into mechanical power by wind turbines.

Based on a study, the first 10 states in US in terms of wind resources including North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Iowa. In addition to these, there are also plans of locating wind farms on offshore areas along coastal states. Previously, US led the world in wind energy but nowadays, it is Germany leading, follows by Spain. US is in third position. Recently, majority of the wind projects are being conducted by private producers and by electric utility companies. One of the reasons for an increased interest in wind power is the availability of federal tax credits and incentive payments. In a country where electricity is very much needed, we definitely have to look for other sources. We should be thankful that wind can be a good source of energy. However, having this extra source of energy comes a bigger responsibility and that is to take care our environment.

Has it occurred to you that we can actually make use of the strong winds of the annual monsoons and hurricanes in our country? Well, you might consider the aforementioned weather conditions as disasters, but, when we try to realize, the strength of these cyclones or tornadoes are enough to run the wind power plant. Still not convinced? Let us just say that if we adhere to this 'crazy' plan, we will be able to provide our homes their own energy reserves while the rainy season is ongoing.

Experts in America are trying to inject this notion to the congress. The intention behind this proposal is to teach people how to make use of the available resources to save or store energy. In this case, experts saw that typhoon winds are a favorable sources. Their forces are absolutely stronger than the usual wind blow in the sea shore or in the mountains, so it will be completely possible to generate more energy from them. A few people declared their disagreement to this plan. Why? It is because they argued that turbines might not be able to withstand the wind force and they might be uprooted and cause damage to the neighborhood. This is one reason why turbines are placed miles away from residential areas.

On the other hand, I guess, this system would be very useful. Since strong tropical typhoons visit my country yearly, I do not deny the fact that the winds are really strong. Although they can be and are very destructive, if I were to be given the equipment to store wind energy, I would gladly have it in my house.

Humans use the wind's power for as long as the world's complex history can record it. The sailors make use of wind's kinetic energy for sailing. They were then able to convert the wind's kinetic energy into some form of mechanical energy. Wind is likewise needed to power the windmills that are used by farmers to acquire water from deep wells. The same thing goes for grating and crushing wheat. Wind is used in so many ways it's no surprise people wanted to produce electricity out of it.

Wind turbines, as opposed to windmills, does not pump water or grind corn. These inventions are for generating electricity. Wind turbine's blades are attached to a hub that is affixed on a gyrating shaft. The shaft moves through a transmission box and the speed increases. The transmission is affixed to a fast shaft that turns the generator that creates electricity.
The system was first invented by Charles F. Brush of Ohio and the blades then were huge-- about 25 feet in radius. Through the understanding of wind dynamics, the turbines have been improvised gradually.

If you want to have a small turbine for your house, you should first keep in mind the building codes and local ordinances and zoning restrictions in your area. A small turbine usually generate electricity power equivalent of what a regular home uses that's why it can be directly wired to your house's electrical system. The cost of an ordinary 10-kilowatt turbine is around $30,000, give or take, and can generate about 10,000 kWh in a year.

While all other European countries are busy with having debates on how to lower the prices of energy and electricity, Spain is paving the way for wind power. Unlike its neighbors, Spain took the chance to improve its wind energy plants rather than other sources like ocean water or geothermal sources. For this reason, the operator of the energy plant has been hailed by the government and was promised to be extended of support to further strengthen the energy source found in Madrid, Gibraltar, and the beautiful Canary Islands.

The industry is currently planning to run on 30,000 mega watts of power. According to the operator, this capacity is, by far, third among Germany and US. That makes Spain one of the leading sources of wind power. I wonder if it will also join energy marketing. By the way, the operator resolved into wind energy since the topography of Spain is hilly.

On the other hand, there are issues with regards to wind energy, which is why few countries make use of it. Considering Spain as the location, just imagine the high peaks and valleys of the country filled with towering turbines. The sight of it is annoying. Also, wind turbines need wide areas. That means, the country must allot 500,000 square kilometers of land for the plant. This does not get along with initial building projects in Spain. Lastly, the most effective turbines are those that are placed near coasts. If such will be done, the energy plant will interfere with the activities in the shore. Although easy to set up, is very hard to find a place for wind power station.

Many say that energy from the wind is the next big thing when it comes to energy resources. Indeed, because energy from wind is becoming a fast growing source of energy that can supply electricity in home, businesses and industries. In the US alone, wind power supplies electricity to over 750,000 homes. There are many ways for wind power to be regarded very beneficial to us humans so our government needs to find ways and means to enhance and develop this kind of energy source.

Since wind is a natural resource, it does not create pollutants and does not lead to environmental degradation but rather it reduces acid rain, smog, and other forms of air pollution. Wind power is renewable, so it never runs out. So instead of using fossil fuels like coal and oil which is non-replaceable, we should use wind power to conserve energy. Wind power generators are a bit expensive, yes, but consider the other kind of expenses that money cannot afford -- clean air and environment free from pollution.

So, how is wind converted into electricity? Wind plants would have to be installed. These plants use very large blades to catch wind. These blades will then turn a generator or turbine that produces the electricity.

Wind energy is a concrete example of motion energy. Along with efficient heat energy, it is one of the common sources of electricity. We all know that the different electrical appliances at home and at the workplace consume a lot of electricity.

Many countries, especially the industrialized ones, have resorted to install wind turbines that will generate wind energy. This is so, because wind energy remains the cheapest power source that is renewable. Not only that, wind energy does not emit any harmful elements that may affect the humans, animals, and their environment. That is why wind energy is seen as a great potential source of power today and in the years to come. Advanced turbines used to generate power are of various styles and sizes. But, the commonly used type is the one with a horizontal axis appearance. By this, the blades' axis is placed horizontally above the ground. Wind turbines that are large produce great amounts of power as opposed to small-sized or medium-sized wind turbines. The demands for power generated via wind turbines are growing dramatically. Since, it is a very cheap source of power and the process does not harm the people and their environment, there is a sort of assurance that the world will never run out of wind-generated power source.

As an alternative source of energy, wind is being studied by researchers today if it can indeed be consumed for mass usage. For those who are not aware, wind energy is being considered now to replace what we have been so used to utilizing in our humble homes -- electric energy.

Perhaps, decades ago, this idea would have been absurd, but times have changed and we are now living in a modern world where everything is possible through technology.

Actually, it has been a several years already since the matter of wind energy as substitute has come up. However, due to the foreseen expensive costs that such endeavor would entail and the uncertainty of energy that can be obtained from the unstable speed of the wind, projects that aim for energy conversion have been set aside. Until recently, that is. In the University of Alberta, engineers headed by Dr. Andy Knight claim to have produced a simple yet relatively cheap wind energy generator that would carry out the goal of wind energy being used in homes. Although the generator is still under testing and development, the team's system is designed to convert even the lightest of winds into electric energy. This is good progress, I must say, so that no amount of energy is wasted, not to mention the fact that you can consume it cheaper. Good luck to Knight and his group.

The United States is one of the world's top consumer of fossil fuels. It's great to know that this country who relies so much on a limited source is finding other ways to acquire energy. One of their prospected sources of energy is one found all around us, the wind.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is promoting wind energy as an alternative source of power for consumers all over the world. The AWEA is adamant in their quest in brining world awareness to a cleaner source of electricity. Their staff is working with the American Congress for the interest of wind industry. The association also hosts an annual wind energy conference as well as distributing various documentation and publications regarding wind energy facts.

In the UK, wind has been a source of electricity in a few parts, which in technical terms, is very advanced and innovative. Wind is a good source of energy, although it does not have constant measurements, wind is a massive energy source. The UK has the best wind energy source in the whole of Europe, the wind energy source mechanisms in the UK really can provide electricity in some parts of UK, for a long period of time, UK has been developing this genius and practical idea, and now UK has been saving on imported fuel because wind energy has been a very good replacement.