Wind Energy

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Wind Energy is a viable industry that has become a valuable energy source. The energy generated from wind is clean and efficient. The wind energy industry helps to ensure that electric demands are met, wildlife impact is minimal, the environment is not devastated, as well as creates new jobs during the construction of wind farms, daily operations, manufacturing components, and exporting components to foreign countries. Development and Costs In 1986, the National Renewable Energy Laboratories developed a wind resource assessment for the U.S. Department of Energy. The assessment consisted of surface wind data and upper-air data. The results of this project help today’s developers determine the best location for a wind farm, as shown in the map below. Determining where to build a wind farm is based on location. The most favorable locations are those that have a steady annual wind speed of 15.7-meter seconds or more. It isn’t enough to have a windy location; the wind farm needs access to existing transmission lines or the transmission line infrastructure has to be built to get the electricity to the regional grid. The grid is made up of a network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. President Obama stated in his 2011 State of the Union address that he envision in 2035, 80% of the nation’s energy will be met by clean energy sources. Without increased transmission capacity his vision will not be achieved. The function of the transmission line is to get the electricity produced from any source to the grid. Transmission construction is expensive. Prairie Wind Transmission has been approved to build 110 miles of transmission lines in Kansas at an estimated project cost of $2 mi... ... middle of paper ... ..._turbine_advisory_committee.html United States International Trade Commission (2009, June). Wind Turbine Industry and Trade Report. Retrieved, August 12, 2011 from http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/ITS-2.pdf Westar Energy Press Release (2011, June 29). 2011 KCC Approves Prairie Wind Transmission Line Route. Retrieved August 12, 2011 from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/KCC-Approves-Prairie-Wind-iw-1885924556.html?x=0&.v=1 Windustry® & Great Plains Windustry Project (2007). Community Wind Toolbox. Retrieved August 12, 2011 from http://www.windustry.org/CommunityWindToolbox Zweibel, K.(2010, July 19). Should Solar Photovoltaics be Deployed Sooner Because of Long Operating Life at Low Predictable Costs? Energy Policy, Volume 38, Issue 11, November 2010, Pages 7519-7530. Retrieved August 12, 2011 from http://solar.gwu.edu/Research/EnergyPolicy_Zweibel2010.pdf

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