wind turbines

10 Key Advantages of Wind Energy Investors Consider

Current wind energy technology cannot power an electrical grid where energy needs to change from one minute to another. However, that may not be a real problem.

One of the primary advantages of wind energy production is the lack of pollution associated with the process. This is the claim of wind energy proponents, and it is true as far as the energy-producing process goes.

Anti-wind energy groups argue that the environmental footprint must include the manufacturing of the enormous towers and the production of the propellers and gearboxes of the turbines. As a part of the team of essaywriter.nyc, I’d like to say that it sounds odd that any group would oppose creating energy from the wind, but these are environmentalists who are concerned with the entire process.

#10 Minimal Space Requirements

One of the recently revealed advantages of wind energy is the potential to use the acreage for agriculture even after wind towers have been built. It was assumed that the land used would not be suitable or safe for anything if a wind farm existed. That has been shown clearly to be untrue.

Today you can drive past a large wind farm and notice livestock grazing at the base of the towers. Farms can grow crops on the land. As a result, there is no smoke or pollutants released that would damage the grounds, plants, or air quality. This is one of the significant advantages of wind energy production.

#9 Minimal Environmental Impact

A wind turbine does not release gasses or harmful emissions into the environment. No particles or runoff to spread chemicals into the ground or aquifers. This is one of the most significant advantages of wind energy, and this alone makes it worthwhile to pursue the process of creating electricity using this technology.

A wind turbine sits on the land but does not create chemical or air pollution. Therefore, there is no need for a safety barrier around a wind tower and no risk of radiation leaks or chemical spills that would destroy plants and wildlife. When you consider the dangers to the environment and wildlife – and to people – that are posed by mining, transportation, and the use of fossil fuels, you understand the importance of this feature.

It’s true that industrial wind turbines can have significant bid-strikes. However, its rate of harm is about equal to bird-kill on power lines and towers and much less than bids killed by house cats.

#8 Located Away From Population Centers

Winds occur everywhere on the planet, but reliable wind energy is only optimal in some locations. The best places to create wind energy are usually in low populations and away from urban areas. These locations provide open land without structures to inhibit or redirect airflow, but they also require the power produced to be transported over long distances. This adds to the cost and maybe eventually overcome by new technology that will provide better transmission or storage of wind energy.

The appearance of a wind farm is another argument for locating turbines away from populations. Though some look at the big structure and see grace and function, others see large white towers with strobe lights that pierce the peace of a quiet night with constant blinking. The strobes are for safety of local air traffic but are not one of the advantages of wind power.

#7 Sustainable Power

The wind is a constant. There are parts of the country where brisk winds scrape the landscape day in and day out. There is a tremendous amount of kinetic energy in that wind. The wind has always fascinated us as it is a power source we can’t see but can feel. The gentle breeze on a hot day or the 100 mph winds of hurricanes carries their power and energy. Using that power to our benefit only makes sense.

Theoretically, we could use the wind to create more than forty times our current demand for electric power. Wind power is feasible economically, but it’s a relatively new technology and needs further testing and development. The advantages of wind energy are impressive but eliminating some of the disadvantages will be required if we are to produce wind energy in significant amounts.

#6 Meets Growing Needs of the Power Grid

To be a practical energy source, wind energy must be reliable. Unfortunately, this is difficult to achieve is the wind depends on atmospheric conditions. Therefore, we can’t rely on a certain amount of wind on any particular day or time of day.

Electrical grids send power to homes and businesses on demand. The grid is balanced carefully so that high demand in one area can be met immediately by pulling more power from regions with less energy use. This is one of the problems of wind energy. It fails the reliability test because the wind isn’t constant, so energy production cannot be reliable.

Current wind energy technology cannot power an electrical grid where energy needs to change from one minute to another. However, that may not be a real problem. One of the advantages of wind energy is its reliability over the long haul. Wind blow and energy can be produced day after day. That energy can be used for backup power or reserve capability on a power grid. Perhaps the actual advantages of wind energy lie in the ability of this new power source to replace some, but not all, of the electricity from fossil fuel plants.

#5 Less Reliance on Foreign Energy

Wind enables U.S. industry growth and U.S. competitiveness. Each new wind projects account for annual investments of over $10 billion in the U.S. economy. The resulting installation means less is spent on energy production and the use of fossil fuels The United States has vast domestic resources and a highly-skilled workforce and can compete globally in the clean energy economy.

#4 Wind Energy Creates Jobs

Wind Turbine in Flowers - Advantages of Wind Energy

Wind power can be an alternative energy source for homes and businesses. This relatively new sector creates jobs. The U.S. wind sector employs more than 100,000 workers, and wind turbine technician is one of the fastest-growing American jobs. According to one report, over the next 30 years, wind energy has the potential to sustain more than 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance.

Wind power is emerging as an increasingly popular source of renewable energy worldwide. This utterly renewable energy technology has been used by governments, utility companies, and large businesses, and lately, individuals, families, and small businesses have realized the advantages of harnessing the power of the winds.

#3 Wind Power is Local

People forget that fossil fuels can be inherently inefficient because of the cost of processing and transport. Wind power is a domestic source of energy and is sourced close to where it is used. The nation’s wind supply is abundant and inexhaustible. Over the past 10 years, U.S. wind power capacity has grown 15% per year, and the wind sector is now the largest basis of renewable power in the United States.

#2 Evergreen Technology in the Same Space

The average industrial wind turbine will last 20 to 30 years. However, recent technological improvements have converted prototype wind turbine ideas into extremely efficient energy harvesters. Replacement turbines can, however, continue to operate in the same location. As technology advances, so do the structure’s capabilities, resulting in designs that produce even more power, require less maintenance, and run more quietly and safely.

#1 Wind Energy is Cost Effective

The cost of wind energy, even without tax incentives, is comparable to fossil fuels. As the technology and as the industry scale and becomes more competitive it’s estimated that renewable wind energy will have a better ROI than coal and natural gas in a few short years.

However today after the production tax credit, the land-based utility-scale wind is one of the most affordable energy sources accessible today, costing 1–2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Wind energy mitigates the price unpredictability that fuel prices bring to traditional sources of energy because electricity from wind farms is sold at a set price over 20 plus years, and its fuel is free.

FAQ About Advantages of Wind Energy

How Do Wind Turbines Work?

Wind energy is produced using a relatively simple principle. The essence of a wind turbine is a generator or alternator connected to the turbine blades by a shaft connected to a gearbox to maximize output. This produces essentially the same effect as a person manually turning a generator to produce electricity, except in this case, the rotation of the wind turbine provides the power.
Wind energy systems can exist autonomously or tied into an existing utility-provided energy grid, but the setup and components of the designs are very much alike. Energy from the generator or alternator is conducted to a battery bank via a control box that regulates the flow of electricity into the bank since the varying speeds of the wind cause wind turbines to generate electricity at varying intensities.
A system tied to an existing energy grid can boost energy efficiency and lower total system cost by choosing not to use a battery bank. Instead, electricity from the battery bank (or directly from the control box) is routed through an inverter, which converts the direct current (DC) electricity into the type of alternating current (AC) required by home outlets and utility grid systems. The electricity is either routed solely to the home or business or routed into the utility-provided energy grid through a meter that records the amounts of energy provided to the grid.

How Are Wind Turbines Installed?

Wind turbines are most effective at thirty meters (100 feet) or higher due to the increased speed and consistency and the wind at higher altitudes. Therefore, wind energy systems work best in at least one-acre wide-open areas. Depending on the type, turbine blades can be positioned either upwind or downwind. Typical two-or-three blade horizontal axis type wind turbines must be located upwind and contain a yaw motor at the base of the generator housing to allow the turbines to change directions with the wind.
Wind turbine kits are now available for the Do It Yourself handy person. Various DIY Wind Turbines can be purchased online or via a local installer.

How Can Wind Energy Be More Efficient?

Wind turbines are less sensitive to limiting factors such as time of day or season than other alternative energy sources since wind tends to be ever-present. However, a wind energy system can be used most efficiently when paired with a solar energy system that produces electricity on calm, sunny days when the wind may not be blowing intensely.

What Are Drawbacks of Wind Energy?

Wind power for the typical homeowner is currently a prohibitively expensive renewable energy option and can be pretty tricky for the non-professional to install and maintain. In addition, due to the size of wind turbines, transportation to end-user sites can also be logistically challenging.

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