UK wind power - Research Paper Example

UK Wind Power Table of Contents Page Introduction…………………………………………………………….........……………2 Discussion………………………………………………………………....…..………….3 Advantages of using the wind power……………………………………...…..…………..5 Complications…………………………………………………………….…….…………6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….…..7 Works Cited……………………………………………………….……….……….…….8 UK wind power Introduction In the contemporary world, the demand for power has increased significantly. However, the supply is limited. This situation has led to complications due to power shortages. Petroleum is the most widely used source of power. However, the amount of oil in the world is reducing each and every day. In order to overcome this problem, people have devised other ways of tapping renewable resources. One of these sources is the wind power. Wind power is one of the major developments which have recently taken place in the power industry. In UK, wind power has been applied as means to overcome the problem of the power shortage. A lot of efforts have been applied in an attempt to make this project successful. Wind power is one of the most efficient sources of power. When the wind turns the wind turbines, the kinetic energy from the wind is converted into mechanical energy. In this form, energy is then used in driving the generator which eventually converts mechanical energy into electricity. The electricity generated is then transmitted to the consumers through cables. UK leads in the European countries in terms of usable wind power. The country has given adequate attention to wind power due to its realization of importance of the wind power in the current world. UK aims at becoming the major supplier of energy in the world by the year 2020. Power is the basic component in the United Kingdom economy which plays a major in economic development. It also plays an important role in increasing the standard of living in the country. There is, therefore, an increased need for a reliable source of electricity supply. Over the past, the country has been relying on coal and gas as a source of energy. However, these sources are non renewable and, therefore, cannot be reliable. This posed a big danger to the country bearing in the mind the current high level of demand for the power in the country. In UK, there have been concerns regarding the emissions from fossil fuel based electricity generations (Muir 3). This is triggered by the environmental degradation campaigns from the global perspective. Under global agreement to minimize the level of pollution, each country was restricted no t to surpass a certain level of carbon emissions. This raised a need to have a more environmental friendly source of energy. The United Kingdom had to meet its carbon emissions requirement. In such a case, the most feasible way was to utilize wind as a source of power. Discussion As already noted, UK is the leading country in terms of wind power generation in the region. The place has very good onshore wind resource. In fact, UK has the largest wind resource in the world (191). This is characterized by winds with high speeds especially in areas like Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These areas experiences high speed and strong wind and, therefore, best situated for the wind power generation. UK has a large and shallow continental shelf which further favors generation of the wind power. The sea around these coasts also favors offshore wind farm projects. These factors have significantly promoted wind power generation projects in the UK. The region covered by this place is owned by Crown Estate. The Crown Estate gives license to the development projects which are aimed at promoting the generation of wind in the UK. These developments were facilitated by the creation of the Energy Act 2004 (The Renewable Energy Center par 4). In the offshore, the speed of the wind is higher than in the land. Therefore, most of these wind power generation plants are located offshore. The wind is also more reliable on offshore than in the land. Therefore, more power can be generated offshore compared to the land. The demand for power in UK varies from one time to another. Some times the demand is too much while in others the demand falls significantly. These variations are as a result of changes in the seasons. In the country, the demand for electricity is relatively higher during the winter. This demand is generated by increased consumption due to darkness and cold in winter which increases the electricity consumption. However, the consumption falls during the summer. Therefore, the country has opted for the wind energy in order to overcome this problem. Wind energy has significantly contributed in meeting the demand during these peak periods hence overcoming the problem of fluctuations in the level of energy demand. Delabole wind farm in Cornwall was the first place where commercial wind power generation started in the UK in 1991. Since its development, the plant has been increasing its capacity yearly. Due to the advantages which the plant has brought to the region, several measures have been taken to encourage more power generation. For instance, the introduction of the Renewable Obligation has provided an incentive to the developers (MacLeay 191). Consequently, rate of installation of new farms has increased significantly. Recent statistics indicate that there was 3.5 GW of installed capacity in the UK by the end of 2009 (MacLeay 191). This was generated from about five hundred wind schemes. There has also been a continuous development of the turbines. For instance, the early designs of the turbines have been replaced by more sophisticated and efficient turbines. For instance, the initial height of the turbines was lower. However, the speed of the wind tends to increase with the height. Therefore, the higher the level of turbines the higher is the rate of power generation. This resulted in increasing the height of the turbines in order to maximize energy generation. The Energy Act 2008 provides incentives to the small scale generation of the low carbon electricity (MacLeay 191). This incentive was through Feed in Tariffs to supplement the RO. This scheme assisted in increasing the level of wind power generation by the small scale generating farms. This power significantly helped in reducing the power shortage by meeting on-site demand. In the UK, the small scale wind systems vary significantly from the large scale systems. The small scale systems can be on-grid or off-grid, fixed or mobile building standing or even free standing (Wizelius 196). Therefore, they have a wide range of applications than the larger systems. This also makes them to be better suited to various places hence efficiently providing power to the community. Advantages of using the wind power The wind power is one of the most recent and most important developments in the energy sector. The realization of the importance of the wind power in reducing the problem of power shortages has significantly improved living standards of many people. In the United Kingdom, the wind power has significantly contributed in the economy. It has helped in meeting the energy needs which significantly contributes in economic development. In the current world, the issue of pollution has raised concerns about the future. The level of pollution has significantly increased; a situation which has threatened the existence of the future generation. In an effort to solve the problem of the global warming, each country has been restricted to a certain level of carbon emissions which it should not exceed. Over the past, UK has been relying on coal, gas and other methods in power generation. These methods are associated with a very high level of carbon emissions. Therefore, it was challenging for the UK to meet these specifications using these methods in power generation. However, by embracing wind power generation, UK has managed to meet these specifications without necessarily bringing about shortages in the country. Therefore, a part from reducing power shortages in the region, wind power has helped in reducing the level of pollution by substituting methods which were associated with high level of carbon emissions. Another importance of wind energy is that it is cost effective. The operational costs on generation of this form of power are minimal. Therefore, the consumers are able to get electricity at relatively lower costs. In addition, generation of power through the wind is less labor intensive. Again this reduces the costs. This is unlike in the case of coal which involves very many processes. Another importance of this type of energy is that it is renewable. It can never be exhausted. This increases the reliability of power since the wind power cannot be exhausted. This is unlike in the case of coal which can easily be exhausted. Complications Despite of the fact that the wind power is cheaper and efficient than other sources of energy, it is associated with several problems. One of this is the reliability of the wind power. There is a need of reliable energy especially during the peak period when the demand for energy is relatively high. However, there is a high probability of the high energy demand coinciding with a low level of production of wind power. In order to avoid shortages, the wind power is tapped in different places. This increases the level of reliability. In order to maintain a steady supply of power in UK; the responsible parties have ensured sufficient electricity generation capacity. Conclusion In conclusion, this discussion has clearly shown that the wind power has a significant role in meeting energy demands in the UK. The region has well developed coast line which favors generation of the wind power. The country has managed to meet its energy demands easily through this form of energy since it’s renewable. This has significantly contributed in economic development. Therefore, it is advisable for other nations from other parts of the world to embrace this source of energy in order to reduce power shortages in the world. Currently, there is a lot of wind power which has not been exploited. However, the issue of carbon emissions has been the order of the day. Therefore, it is important to ensure maximum utilization of the wind resources in order to overcome the problem of pollution. Works Cited MacLeay, Iain. Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics 2010. UK: The Stationery Office, 2010. Muir, John. “Analysis of UK Wind Power Generation.” Jmt, 2011. 29 Apr 2011. The Renewable Energy Center. “Wind Power.” The renewable energy centre, 29 Apr 2011. Wizelius, Tore. Developing Wind Power Projects: Theory and Practice. London: Earthscan, 2007. Read More