Tag Archives: Wind

Wind Power

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Wind energy is a form of non fossil-fuel energy that, if utilized more, could help us to get closer to a more sustainable future.  Wind energy uses wind turbines in order to produce electricity out of kinetic energy created by wind.  However, wind energy has a lot of aspects that can be seen as issues, which is why it isn’t used more broadly today.  To start, the cost of installation of wind turbines is always an issue, as the larger they are, the more energy they produce, but they are in turn, more expensive.  Commercial applications are difficult as well, as wind turbines usually need to be in rural areas for them to generate as much energy as possible (and are very large, so difficult to install in less rural areas,) but then have to send their energy off to more populated places.  Finally, wind energy is unreliable because the amount of wind produced in a day cannot be controlled, so the amount of power produced may not be consistent.  Although wind turbines are becoming less expensive as prices drop and they become more available (in 2016, wind energy was 16% of all energy produced by renewable sources), we have a long way to go before wind power replaces fossil fuels.

https://www.irena.org/wind

Is Wind Energy the Future?

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In recent years there have been many discussions and efforts to switch away from fossil-fuel based methods to alternative and renewable sources of energy.  One such example of renewable energy that has become a topic of discussion among others, is wind energy.  There is hope for wind energy to become a main form of energy use in the near and somewhat distant future.  Based on the EPA’s Wind Vision Report, wind can become a viable source of energy in every state in America by 2050.  Wind energy is already available in nationwide and this infrastructure makes it possible to dramatically expand the usage of wind energy in the coming years.  In 2013, wind energy already reduced the emission of air pollutants by 250,000 metric tons and if widespread wind energy systems are used throughout the country, the Wind Vision Report estimates that greenhouse gases could be reduced by 12.3 gigatonnes by 2050.  This wind energy format is not only great for the environment but for the public as well, with local communities estimated to be able to collect additional tax revenue totally 3.2 billion annually from land lease and property tax payments by 2050.  The switch however would not be cheap with job losses expected to occur and infrastructure needing creation.  The Wall Street Journal estimates that it would cost 7.8 to 13.9 trillion over the course of the next 30 years.  This isn’t just for wind but for all forms of renewable energy.  The upside however is immense, with the change to renewable energy, our forms of energy will no longer depend on finite reserves of fossil-fuels.  The price of renewable energy is also slowly decreasing as they become more widespread.  Wind energy is roughly $20/MWh compared to coal’s $102/MWh and renewable energy sources can only help the economy with increased jobs in renewable energy sectors and lower prices for goods and energy in the future.  Renewable energy and wind energy in particular will take time to switch to of course, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the negatives during the process of the switch or not switching at all.

 

Works Cited:

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-vision#:~:text=The%20Wind%20Vision%20Report%20shows,and%20supporting%20services%20by%202050.

https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/cost-of-renewable-energy

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-u-s-is-turning-green-what-will-this-climate-plan-cost-and-who-will-pay-11634997601#:~:text=The%20biggest%20and%20most%20measurable,energy%20researchers%20at%20Princeton%20University.

 

 

 

Wind Energy!

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There are many forms of non fossil-fuel based energy. But, for this post I will be specifically looking at wind energy. In order to understand wind energy, it is important to first understand wind. When the sun unevenly heats the Earth, that is when wind is created. Wind can then be used to create energy. Knowing this, wind energy is sustainable energy. It will continue to be a sustainable source of energy for as long as the sun continues to shine. Wind energy is caught by the giant windmills, called wind turbines, that tower over 100 feet in the air. Sometimes, the wind turbines work by themselves or they can also be connected to power grids or a solar cell system. When there is a decent amount of wind turbines clustered together it is called a wind plant, however only a handful of electricity providers use these wind plants to provide power for their customers.

Across the United States, there are 41 states have wind plants which have developed more than 100,000 jobs for American citizens. In fact, a wind turbine technician is one of the fastest growing jobs in America. It’s important to note that the wind industry is still growing and is nowhere near its peak. The most common use of wind turbines that are stand alone is to pump water. However, farmers could also use standalone wind turbines, as well as homeowners. When it comes to wind power, it is cost effective as it only costs “1–2 cents per kilowatt-hour after the production tax credit” (energy.gov). Lastly, the newly developing wind industry equals annual investments of over 10 billion dollars into the United States economy. This shows the promise and potential that the wind industry, as well as wind energy has.

Works Cited:
https://www.nrel.gov/research/re-wind.html

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-energy-basics

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy

 

Offshore Wind Turbines in California

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The state of California is home to 840accessible miles of coast line to the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, as technologies and climate change awareness have increased, the state of California have made a conscious effort to enhance and improve their usage of the coast in its application of renewable energy sources. The most effective form of renewable energy that California has used is taking advantage of the offshore wind. The major tool to capture off shore wind to harness renewable energy comes in the form of wind turbines. Most of which can be built to stand in shallow ocean water. With Californias pacific being much deeper, the turbines must be constructed on to floating stands that are able to absorb currents and other sorts of natural causes that otherwise may alter their movements.

In 2018, the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act was implemented into the state of California. This increased California’s goal of renewable energies to 60% by 2030 and a hopeful 100% by 2045. With oil resources becoming harder to capture and other things such as gas increasing in price, renewable energy sources are the trends of the future. One thing that will not change anytime soon is there being wind off of California’s coastline. If California gets to its goal of 100% by 2045, there will be no energy sources that produce carbon in hopes of altering the curve we viewed a few weeks ago.

 

https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/topics/renewable-energy/offshore-renewable-energy

 

https://www.energy.ca.gov/sb100