Wind power pros and cons facts
Wind Energy Pros and Cons discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using Wind as an renewable source of Energy.
Wind Energy Pros
Residential Wind Generators
Wind Power is free and in abundance in certain areas. The Wind Speeds are always higher on the shoreline, at the top of a hill, and in places free of obstructions. Obstructions such as trees (forests), mountains, buildings, silos, and other natural and man made structures.
Wind Power does not generate "Pollution", or radioactive waste. It does not consume any of the non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas, or oil. It is a renewable energy.
Wind Power can generate enough energy for large numbers of people. By using larger turbines connected to an electrical grid it allows people the benefit of wind power without owning their own wind system.
It is a "permanent energy". The wind will exist until the end of the sun. About 5 billion years.
Wind becomes "A Source of Power" during times when the electrical grid is out. For example, hurricanes, power outages, brown outs. Using wind power can provide you with the needed electricity.
With new technology, the cost of a residential wind power turbines have decreased significantly while increasing in their efficiency. It is reported that costs have decreased well over 60% since the 1980's. Wind power has no hidden costs, and it has become more cost-effective with each new round of technological advancements.
Wind is an excellent supplement to other renewable resources. For example, solar or hydro power.
Installing Residential Wind Power to your home can gain you tax credits and/or rebates from the Federal Level as well as possibly your state's level.
Wind energy is readily available around the globe, and therefore can lessen the dependence for energy for any country.
Wind Energy Cons
The main "con" of wind power is the reliability of wind. You cannot expect the "same amount" of wind power to be generated by your wind turbine. If the Wind speed varies by only 10% (from 12 mph to a little under 11 mph, the production of wind power from the turbine can vary up to 25%!).
Wildlife can be endangered. Birds, especially Migrating Birds, are known to try to fly between the running blades, and they get hit by the blades.
Lightening causes the most damages to Wind Turbines. Mostly in part because of the tall thin steel shapes. Areas in warmer region are hit the most frequently.
Some people don't like the design of wind turbines. Long steel bars, or many of them that make up Wind Farms as pictured here.
Wind energy can only be stored with a battery.
Possible Noise Pollution -There is a low 'swoshing' sound from one home wind turbine. However, the noise from commercial wind turbines or from 'wind farms' is similar to the sound of a small jet engine.
The Site possibilities of the Turbine may be limited. You may live in a windy area, but the only place you can install it may be on your rooftop - which is next to a neighbors garage redirecting the wind. Or want to start a wind farm and all real estate is priced accordingly to how much wind energy the land has. A general idea of how much 'wind' is needed to power a small wind electric turbine is an "annual average speed" greater than 9 mph.
Additional "Wind Energy Pros and Cons"
(Issues listed below could fall into either "pros" or "cons" or neither....depending on the situation.)
Before installing any Renewable system, wind, solar or hydro, Check with your local government for any zoning regulations or laws.
Check out your neighborhood with the area you intend to place the wind turbine and be mindful of placement. Let your neighbor know ahead of time.
Look at the landscape of the possible wind turbine site and see what may change in the next 10-15 years you have your investment. Will your 'Home made wind power' be affected. Land for sale? New construction that may block the wind? Trees growing?
Design is the key to building successful Wind Generators for the Home. Be sure to take into account the list of "Wind Energy Pros and Cons".
Wind Energy Pros and Cons
Advantages
1) Green and Clean Energy
Among the wind energy pros and cons collection, the most primary and weighted advantage that can outrun the most shortcomings of the wind energy is that this prolific source of energy is “green and clean” that means wind can be deployed to produce energy without any pollution, toxic materials and fossil fuel generation. Due to the increasing industrial concentration in the world, the alternative energy resources accompany with the primary disadvantage of the pollution because renewable energy resources cannot be used without the production of toxic materials but wind energy offsets the pollutants in the air. According to a study, wind energy plants located at California contributes to an offset of around 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have been very detrimental for the human and animal life. The on shore wind energy production resources can produce electricity without emitting any kind of pollution and this is the most exigent feature of this energy resource. Wind energy harnessing can be done without any green houses gases production, toxic wastes and carbon by-products.
2) Amazing Potential That Can Satisfy All the Energy Needs
Whenever the wind energy pros and cons are discussed, the abundance of potentiality factor can also add a great weightier to the usability of wind energy resources because according to an estimate, the wind energy resources have the potential of producing a power of around 400 TW (terawatts). As the wind is available everywhere on the earth so the wind energy can be harnessed and deployed for the human uses literally everywhere excluding the feasibility factors and risk assessment. The elevation of the magnitude of the wind energy potential can be perceived from the study that took place in Palo Alto, California in which the scientists said that he wind energy can suffice for the energy needs of the whole civilization and if a 100 more wind mills can be installed, this can do tricks beyond imagination of the humans. They said that the wind energy can be effectively harnessed to produced trillion of watts of power that can fulfill the energy needs for the humans all around the world. According to government estimates wind mills produced around 7TWh of energy that is more than a quarter of the electricity provided by British renewable energy resources and are enough to save six million tones of CO2 throughout UK.
3) Economical Energy
Another important advantage of wind energy is its cost effectiveness. In the era of depletion of the energy resources, the scientists are looking into the most economical renewable energy source that they can use in order to satisfy the industrial and day to day energy needs of the human beings. The experts throughout the world, after assessing the wind energy pros and cons have come to the conclusion unanimously that the wind energy is definitely the most economical renewable energy resource that can be used effectively to carry out the energy needs. With increasing coal and gas prices, the wind energy resource is the most exigent source of energy to suffice the needs of human kind because of intense monetary benefits. The Colorado Public Service Commission started a 161-megawatt (MW) wind project in Lamar in order to complete the local energy needs and they were amazed to know the fact that wind energy generation was one of the most economical way to generate energy and Colorado, the commission determined that wind energy provided the lowest cost of any generation resource of energy production submitted to a solicitation bid by Xcel Energy. Wind energy is so profitable that in America, due to the 47,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity outlets, each mega watt gives a total of $11,000 income to state.
4) Agricultural and Rural Development
Rural and agricultural development is another important advantage of wind energy. Wind farms located in rural areas can generate a lot of Energy and this energy can be transmitted to load centers in urban areas using the regional utility grid outlines that are normally available readily. Rural areas can sustain the land lease revenue and many farmers can rent the spaces and outdoor capacities and gain incomes. Wind energy also provides an increased and augmented local tax base for rural areas. Prowers Count which is a home to the Lamar project, increased its local tax base by $32 million and a 912 MW of new wind power installed in Texas in 2001 produced $13.3 million which was used in the schools and social work.
Disadvantages
Wind energy pros and cons article turning into a “wind energy pros article”? No! As we are about to tell you about the cons of the wind energy so that you may remain vigilant and can know the potential short comings and threats of this energy resource.
1) Unstable/ Unreliable Energy Resource
As wind is one the most low density energy resource, efficiency is decreased of the wind mills farms if a very large number of wind mills are not placed. There should be great amount of distance between the wind mills because of the requirement of harnessing energy and turbulence problems. Due to the low density, the intensity of the wind does not remain constant and there are halts and closes for the wind mills which can really cause damage to the electricity output and all the appliances that are used to harness this energy. The winds are not constant all the time and the onshore wind harnessing cost can increase exponentially.
2) Threat to Wild and Human Life
Due to barotraumic noises and turbulence, the wild life can be at danger. In North America, around 300,000 in one cave alone was dead because of the white noise problem caused by the wind mill noises and turbulence. Humans living around the areas where wind mills are placed can also be upset due to the sounds produced because of the wind mills. The birds are killed in great numbers due to the sharp blades of the wind mills.
3) Limitation of Deployment
Wind energy is only suitable for the coastal regions where the wind mills can be made with optimal feasibility. The hilly areas are also very suitable for the wind energy harnessing but what about those parts of the world where the wind speed is very low? Certainly this energy source fails in those areas and this is one of the most prominent drawbacks of wind energy. The alternative energy resource which is being searched by the scientist should be constant and readily available all the time in order to increase the homogeneity of the productivity of the industry but wind energy sources lack this factor. Similarly the coastal regions are not very abundant in perspective of the areas and the numerous wind mills cannot be built on coastal region otherwise it will decrease the scenic beauty of these regions.
Conclusion
Wind energy pros and cons must be assessed in a balanced way and the world energy experts should inculcate this fact that no alternative energy resource can be perfect. We have to combine the pros of diverse and multifarious energy resources in order to satisfy the augmenting and elevated energy needs of humans. The wind energy resources have a capacity to fulfill the energy needs but at the same time the disadvantages must be inculcated at the planning levels to optimally exploit the productive resources.
