Wind Power’s Present and Potential Abstract As the global supply of fossil fuels becomes steadily lower, need is growing for new energy sources that are beneficial to the environment and cost-effective. Wind power is one solution to this need. Wind turbines require significant investment, but are cost-efficient in the long term. If construction of turbines is sufficiently increased, the wind may be able to in the future provide a very major portion of global energy. Wind Power’s Present and Potential According to a study by Archer and Jacobson, the wind power potential provided by just the windiest 13% of the planet’s land area is five times the power that we currently use – 72 terawatts (Archer, Jacobson, 2004).
From environment to cost, renewable resources are looking better and better than fossil fuels. One day we will run out of fossil fuels and will have to turn to renewable energy, but how about we learn as much as we can about wind energy so when the time comes wind will be used to its fullest possibilities. Resources Jim Caldwell. "Rising wind - time to take a closer look. " Power Engineering 1 Sep. 2003: 69.
“Environmental Impact of Wind Turbines.” Vision Engineer.com. 2003. 29 April 2003. www.visionengineer.com/env/wind environmental_impact.shtml> United States Department of Energy. “Wind Energy Program.” 2001. 28 April 2003.
Wind Power as an Alternate Energy Source Graphics not Included ABSTRACT The United States' main source of energy is currently fossil fuels. However, we know that fossil fuel supply continues to deplete and sooner or later, the United States will need to resort to a new source of energy. This report hopes to explore the advantages and disadvantages of wind power using model regions. These regions have experience in using wind power, which may help us determine whether or not it is a suitable source of energy when fossil fuels are completely drained. From examining Denmark and other places benefiting from this clean and unlimited source of wind power, we believe that the United States possesses enough wind, money, and other resources to use wind power as a main future source of energy.
Temperature also affects the air density of a windmill. “ winter winds in minnesota will carry more power than the summer winds of the same speed in southern california” (“Wind Power Is”). One windmill could last for at least 20 years. The company IBM along side others are forming tools to help out windmills to progress towards the future. There is this sensor they created called,”IBM ILOG”, and it is an en... ... middle of paper ... ...hard to believe the amount of improvement that has been going on with windmills.
This process is carried out with the help of the grids. Presently, more than 70% of the total global energy demand is satisfied by the burning of fossil fuels. If we continue to utilize fossil fuels to meet the needs of present generation, soon they will get exhausted and our future generation would be deprived of it. The consumption of fossil fuels is responsible for increasing environmental pollution (air pollution, global warming etc. ).Also the present power generation rate is not adequate to fulfil the growing or future demands.
Converting Wind into Energy Wind is created from the earth's warm air rising and creating a vacuum that causes cooler air to replace it. This flow is constantly disturbed by the rotation of the earth and local atmospheric conditions. This rotating cycle results in what we call wind. When harnessed, using sails, mills, and modern wind turbines, wind can serve us a powerful and renewable energy source that may soon become very important to our modern lifestyles. Wind can be converted into mechanical energy which people have done for centuries using the windmill.
Wind Power in the Near Future Today many people are anxious about energy for the future, as it seems realistic that petroleum energy will someday run out and since some environmental problems caused by petroleum use are getting worse. As alternatives to today’s main energy source, oil, some others have been proposed already, such as solar, water, biomass, and nuclear. Wind Power is the one of the ways that has the biggest potential and is the most practical. And it is predicted to play an important role in electrical generation for the new era. But to think wind power will be the dominant energy source can be too optimistic.
McLennan Community College Lib., Waco,Tx. 16 May. 2005 Talbot, David. ¡°Wind Power Upgrade.¡± Technology Review 108 (2005): 21-2 Technology Review. WilsonWeb.
Works Cited Ristinen, Robert A., Jack J. Kraushaar.. Energy and the Environment. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1999. Urone, Paul P.. College Physics: Second Edition. California: Brooks/Cole, 2001. Guided Tour on Wind Energy.