Wind Power Systems - Advantages for Home-Based Consumers - Term Paper Example

Wing based energy has been used as a source of energy for quite a while now. It has been used as a source of energy as early as 200 BC. It serves as a cheap source of energy, one that is healthier for the consumers and the environment as well. In fact windmills were being extensively used for pumping and generating electricity before the development of coal and oil as the major sources of energy (Josepha, 2005). Today, most of the energy needs of the world are being met by the fossil fuels and organic materials such as coal, oil and natural gas etc. There are vast deposits of all over the world, however, they are depleting and the generation technique is also harming the world environment. Wind energy generation provides and easier and a cleaner solution against coal based energy sources. Home based consumers are the biggest chunk of consumer of electricity. Historically, they have been using wind energy as their basic source of energy, but now have shifted to other forms. The report discusses the major reasons why the governments and concerned authorities should take measures to ensure a smooth transition from coal based energy to wind based energy and how it will help the planet and mankind in the long run. The report also discussed why this transition should take place now, and an overview regarding how a home-based consumer can develop a wind-based energy system on their own property. WIND POWER Wind based energy is generated with the help of wind mills and towers which have rotors attached to it. Modern wind energy machines consist of a tall tower with its rotors, inverters; batteries and controllers (Bonta, 2008). There are basically two types of these generators based on the axis on which the blades rotate. Theo ones that rotate around a horizontal axis and the ones more common are called horizontal-axis wind generators, whereas the ones which have a vertical axis are called vertical-axis wind generators. The image of wind power are being impractical, unattractive and inconsistent is now changing as more and more people are adapting this type of power generation methods across communities. In America, for example, Texas has surpassed California in the wind energy capacity. The price of such generation has also decreased drastically when compared to 25 years ago; one kilowatt of wind energy can now be produced by just 4 cents. ADVANTAGES OF WIND POWER SYSTEMS There are numerous advantages of using wind power as the cheap and cleaner alternative to other forms of energy. The viability of using wind energy as an alternative to coal-based energy also stems from the fact that more than one third of American population is currently living in areas which are suitable for wind energy generation (Bonta, 2008). Although, the initial costs of installing such a capacity to meet your electrical needs are high, the system hardly asks for any more investment over its 25 to 30 year life period. The per watt charges of wind-energy are also decreasing, making it lucrative for home consumers to use wind power along with solar power to light their homes and meet their electrical and other energy needs. There are a number of factors which are associated with the success of micro-generation plants being present in neighborhoods of areas suitable for wind powered energy. There should be a presence of sufficient amount of wind present to meet the generation needs. The practicality of such an investment, however, would depend upon the laws of the area in which the consumers are living in and also if any re-bates or incentives are present to install such systems in your vicinity. With the passage of time, there has been great advancement in technology and wind power generation has become cheaper, reliable and safer. If home consumers start using such methods of generation they would be cutting their contribution towards green-house gases, they would have power generation at their own backyard eliminating power outages. Most of these factors that have been discussed pertain to government and regulatory authorities. It is high time that these authorities should take action, provide proper incentives, life laws discouraging such installments in areas which are feasible for wind-energy generation, so that more and more people switch to this cleaner source of energy (Neil, 2007). WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR HOME-BASED CONSUMERS There are a number of factors that one needs to take into account while installing a small scale wind-energy system in the neighborhood. First and foremost, the viability of the site on which one wants to develop the system needs to be assessed. The levels of the basic raw material, wind energy, should be gauged with the help of local airport or the National Climatic Data Centre. Also, the more the height of the tower, the more wind energy it be exposed to. One should also keep in mind that the transport of the energy from the wind system and the house should be minimal as some energy may be lost in transmission. One should also look into local regulations and laws pertaining to installation of such capacities on the property. Overall, since wind energy is gaining momentum and attraction all over the world, regulations are relaxing, which is good news of wind energy enthusiasts (Neil, 2007). The size of the turbine would be gauged according to the needs of the household in question; the bigger the size the bigger need it will cater to. The tower height should be the maximum one can reach given the constraints are the higher the tower, the greater the wind energy is present to be used. Height of the tower plays an important role; a small increase in the height of the tower produces a greater increase in energy generation. One should understand that the costs associated with the installation of this system are high; however, the payback period would be small and decrease even further if you are able to gain a rebate or incentive system. However, one should make sure that the payback period is lesser than the life of the system; in this case it is not viable for the person to undertake such an action. The problem still lies in the proper communication of this form of power generation as being viable and reliable in today’s world where other forms of energy are detrimental to the planet Earth’s health. THE NEED OF TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE FORMS OF ENERGY There is immense need to transfer the world generation towards renewable sources of energy. Oil reserves are expected to fall down steeply and would cause disruption in the world economy in a couple of years. The London based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre says that after four years, there will be a steepening decline in oil reserves all over the world, having detrimental consequences for the world economy (Daniel, 2007). When it comes to coal, only 130 years of this source of fossil fuel is left for the world to consume, since it is a non-renewable source of energy (World Coal Institute, 2010). The usage of fossil fuels also raises environmental concerns as most of these fuels emit carbon dioxide when burnt to produce energy. This has raised issues regarding global warming and the world is already feeling the warmth of the usage of these methods of energy generation (Peter, 2000). The best way to curtail these issues in the widespread implementation of wind based energy systems to reduce emissions of carbon-dioxide (Boyle. 2004). With climatic changes happening so rapidly, it is high time that the switch to renewable sources of energy takes place. CONCLUSION All in all, wind energy serves its purpose as a great renewable energy tool, along with solar energy. The world should close the gap between the perception and reality of using renewable sources of energy as being non-efficient and costly, and realize that these methods will help in the long run and contribute towards society in an effective manner. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sherman, J. (2005) Wind Power. Capstone Press. Morris, N. (2007) Wind Power. Black Rabbit Books. Boyle, G. (2004) Wind Energy. Oxford: Oxford Unviersity Press. Bonta, D., Synder, S. (2008) Wind Power for the Home. Utah: Gibbs Smith Cox, M., Betts, R., Jones, C., Spall, S.,Totterdell, I. (2000) Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled climate model. Available from http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v408/n6809/pdf/408184a0.pdf [1 April 2010] World Coal Institute. (2010) Coal and Energy Security. Available from http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-society/coal-energy-security/ [31 March 2010] Howden, D. (2007) World oil Supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists. The Independent. Available from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/world-oil-supplies-are-set-to-run-out-faster-than-expected-warn-scientists-453068.html [1 April 2010] Read More