What Is Wind Energy All about - Essay Example

Wind Energy The high cost of petroleum as well as environmental problems associated with other forms of energy has made countries worldwide resort to the use of clean energy, known a the renewable sources of energy (Junginger, 2005). Some of the world countries have even gone ahead to determine the percentage of renewable energy that will be used in the countries in the coming future (Blanco, 2008). This has basically been done as away of tackling the problems associated with the widely used non renewable energy that includes petroleum and coal. Countries have drafted policies on how to migrate from the use of non renewable energy to use of these sources of energy and geothermal energy. But the question is what renewable energy is? This essay will talk about one form of renewable energy which is wind energy. As stated earlier, wind energy is a form of renewable energy. Renewable energy sources are those that are replenished naturally on a human timescale. Examples of renewable energy are geothermal power, wind energy and sunlight. Wind energy is used to produce electricity when fast moving air called wind, hits propeller-like blades attached to a rotor. The rotor is coupled to a dynamo-like generator to produce electricity. The generator produces electricity through electromagnetism in its coils. The propeller-like blades, the main shaft and the generator forms a unit that is known as a wind turbine. Wind turbines are usually mounted on towers to harness most of the energy of the moving air. These turbines are usually erected in areas that are very windy and are usually outside towns and areas of dense populations. The energy from wind has been harnessed both residentially and commercially. People have used small wind turbines to generate electricity for their own personal use. The generation of electricity has also been done for commercial purposes but in most cases the energy from a given wind farm is normally used to serve a specific area. Divided opinions have been witnessed about the use of wind energy. Some people have supported the increased tapping and use of wind energy. They argued that wind energy is a great idea and way of generating cheap electricity. However, there are those who have not agreed with this are a bit skeptical when it comes to wind energy. The divided opinions have been generated by the various pros and cons associated with wind energy. Wind energy has associated benefits and advantages as a source of energy. This source of energy is a green source. Wind results from uneven heating of atmospheric air by the sun. This uneven heating of the air is what causes the movement of air, popularly known as wind. Harnessing the energy in the moving air or wind does not pollute the environment compared to the use of nuclear power, coal and fossil fuels. Some people have argued that the manufacturing and transportation of equipment used in tapping wind energy cause pollution. This is true but the electricity generation process itself is basically pollution free. Therefore wind energy is a green source of energy. Wind energy has enormous potential. Several research works have shown that the potential of wind energy is incredible .This potential has been estimated to be above 400 Terawatts. The harnessing of the wind energy can therefore be done virtually anywhere because of this huge potential associated with energy. The other advantage of the use of wind as a source of energy, both in commercial and domestic applications because it is a source that is renewable. Wind occurs naturally due to uneven heating of the air and therefore this source cannot be emptied as it is naturally replenished in the human timeline. Therefore as long as the sun will keeps shinning, wind energy will continue to be available for harnessing. Wind energy has also been proven to be space efficient. Large turbines driven by wind power have produced energy sufficient for 600 US homes (Milborrow, 2004).This large wind turbines cannot be placed too close to each other when operating. Space is usually left between the wind turbines for safety and efficient operations. However, this space that is left between wind turbines is not normally left to idle as it has been used for farming and other purposes. For this reasons, farms have benefitted more by installing wind turbines in their farms as opposed to solar panels. This therefore makes wind energy a space efficient source of energy. Although wind power currently contributes to 2.5% annual worldwide electricity, this source of power is rapidly increasing and its use growing exponentially (Milborrow, 2004). This in turn will help in fighting global warming and also help in lowering the cost of electricity. The price of wind generate electricity has also decreased significantly over the years. The prices have decreased by about 80% since the year 1980 due to advancement in technology (Milborrow, 2004). This makes the use of wind energy a feasible optional source of electricity. The use of wind energy has the advantage of low operational cost and good domestic potential. Even though the initial costs of manufacturing and installation of wind turbines are high, use of wind energy to generate electricity is associated with low operational costs. Wind energy can be used in both domestic and commercial settings. People have been able to use wind energy to produce their own electricity. Despite the above discussed advantages, wind energy has several cons associated with it. These disadvantages have in one way or the other limited its applications and use. Wind is a very unpredictable source of energy that cannot be used as base load source of energy. This is because it is a natural phenomenon that is unpredictable. Availability of wind energy is therefore not constant. However, batteries and hydro pumps have been used to store energy from wind. Use of wind energy causes a threat to the wildlife. The rotating propellers-like blades have in several cases hit flying creatures such as birds and bird. These creatures have low chances of survival when they encounter a direct hit from the rotating blades. This has made several environmentalists oppose the use of wind energy .However this has been exaggerated as research in the recent years has indicated that there is more fatalities of avian caused by direct hit of buildings than by wind turbine blades (Mann & Teilmann, 2010). Wind turbines are associated with a lot of noise in their operations. As the blades rotate, they produce a lot of noise causing noise pollution. This therefore makes it a requirement only to install wind turbines away from areas where people reside (Wang & Prinn, 2011). The initial cost associated with wind energy is very high. The cost of manufacturing and installation of wind turbines is very high. The use of wind a source of energy has several costs associated with it. These include the cost of turbines, grid connection, and civil works. This heavy upfront investment that is required to set up wind generation equipment therefore limits the use and application of wind energy (Irena, 2012). Research has also revealed that wind turbines causes overall surface heat flux in the areas where they are erected. This affects irrigation requirements of an area and also affects overall crop yields (Baidya & Traiteur, 2010). In conclusion, the use of wind as a source of energy is a very good prospect. This is because wind energy is a renewable and green source of energy.   References Baidya, S & Traiteur, J 2010 Impacts of wind farms on surface air temperatures. Proc. National Academic Science Blanco, M, 2008, The Economics of Wind Energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review. Madrid: Elsevier  Irena, J, 2012 Renewable energy technologies: cost analysis series (wind power) IRENA Working Paper (Bonn: International Renewable Energy Agency) Junginger, H M. Learning in Renewable Energy Technology Development Thesis, Utretch University, the Netherlands, 13 May 2005, ISBN: 90-393-0486-6; 2005. Mann, J & Teilmann, J, 2010, Environmental Impact of Wind Energy, Environmental Research Paper. Roskilde: IOP Publishing Milborrow D. Will downward trends in wind prices continue? Wind Statistics Newsletter 2004; 15(1–3). Wang, C & Prinn, R, 2011 Potential climatic impacts and reliability of large-scale offshore wind farms Environment. Research Letter. Zhang, W, Marrkfork, C &Porte-Angel, F, 2013, Experimental Study of the Impacts of Large Scale Wind Farms on Land-Atmosphere Exchange. Environmental Research Paper. Minnesota: IOP Publishing     Read More