Wind Power
by Dawn St John

     

     In June of this year, The Green Room met with a spokeswoman for Community Energy, and learned that our local utility company would allow us to use exclusively wind energy for a manageable monthly fee. We came home, did some research, and found out that for only an extra $10 each month, we could be 100% powered by wind. Obviously, even a small extra expenditure is not feasible for everyone. However, I suspect the reason a lot of folks don't use wind (or other alternative forms of energy) is simply because they don't know about it. Adam Gardner, of the rock band Guster, tells us that "a lot of local utilities now offer alternative energy as an option - they don't tell you about it, but if you ask them about it, a lot of them have programs."

     Wind power is exactly what it sounds like - electrical power generated by wind turbines. These turbines are usually located in the mountains or at sea, where high winds are frequent and the turbines do not disrupt other natural scenery. Still, their appearance - particularly along coastlines - is one major deterrent to their use. Other disadvantages include variability of wind, and low efficiency. Studies show a range of anywhere from 10% to nearly 60% of energy able to be extracted from the wind hitting the turbine.

     One of the biggest advantages, however, of wind power is that it is clean and natural. It does not contribute any additional carbon-dioxide into the environment, and it will not be depleted by use. Carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup leads to rising temperatures globally, a condition we've come to know as global warming, or the greenhouse effect.

     Over the past 6 years (from 1999-2005), worldwide wind energy production has increased more than four times over, but still less than 1% of the earth's electricity is supplied by these turbines. The turbines in use today have the capacity to churn out up to 5 megawatts, though this ranges greatly depending on location and size of the turbine. Some turbines will only generate 250 watts. The high-end turbines are capable of producing 15 million kilowatt-hours, annually. One of these turbines alone can provide power for approximately 1400 American households, per the American Wind Energy Association.

     Unfortunately, wind energy alone will not solve our energy problems, simply because we do not have the grid infrastructure to transfer electricity from the areas of highest wind to the areas of highest need. Per the AWEA's website, wind power could replace up to 20% of American usage with the current setup. With proper transmission capabilities and government funding, though, we can reach and perhaps exceed that cap.

     

     Source: http://www.awea.org