Advantages of Wind Energy

Wind power, also commonly referred to as wind energy, has become the forefront of many conversations. It can solve many energy issues throughout the world.

So, what is wind energy? Wind energy is the description of the process by which wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity (www.windeis.anl.gov). Wind itself is a form of solar energy that is caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of earth’s surface, and the rotation of the earth (www.windeis.anl.gov). It is a natural occurrence that as inhabitants of this planet, we can take advantage of to cut energy costs down tremendously.

The process by which these wind turbines work is simple; wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical power. The process by which this happens is by wind hitting wind turbines that then turn in the moving air that concurrently powers an electric generator (www.windeis.anl.gov). This electric current can be used to power homes and even cities.

Wind turbines are often grouped together to create what is known as a wind farm. At these wind farms there are turbines of various sizes. The largest of wind turbines

can produce enough energy to power 1,400 homes (www.windeis.anl.gov). A small wind turbine has the power a small business or an all-electric home (www.windeis.anl.gov). By building these wind turbines we can power our homes using clean electricity as opposed to others forms of energy.

Advantages of wind energy are plentiful. There is no limit to the amount of wind that exists throughout the world. There is an abundance of wind throughout various parts of the world. Wind energy is a clean fuel source of energy that is plentiful and easy to harness.  A great advantage of wind farms is that unlike the conventional power plant, wind farms emit no air pollutants like greenhouse gases (www.windeis.anl.gov).  It has been recorded that wind power plants can offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced (www.windeis.anl.gov). It would take a forest of 90 million to 175 million trees to offset the same amount of pollutants as described before

The benefits of building wind energy power plants are abundant. Wind energy happens to be a very low costing renewable energy. Wind energy costs between 4 and 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending upon the wind resource and project financing of the particular project (www.energy.gov). Another benefit of the price cost to produce wind energy is that it remains stable and is not volatile, reason being because wind is a renewable resource. Among the benefits of wind farms includes the fact that they are built in rural regions stimulating the economy in rural areas. This happens by the process that wind power plant owners make rent payments to the farmer or rancher for the use of the land (www.energy.gov).

Wind energy also helps national security for whichever country wind farms are built by reducing reliance on foreign and volatile sources of fossil fuels (www.windustry.org). Community wind projects are able to deliver more power to local markets by relieving the load on existing transmission lines and reducing the need to upgrade transmission lines to bring in power to these rural areas that are often far from the source of energy that they are receiving (www.windustry.org). The local economies in which these wind farms are built help to create quality jobs for people there to take. Community-owned wind projects create and retain wealth that can be re-invested in the community to grow new business opportunities.

These wind farms allow for opportunities to be created locally in the sense that by keeping these dollars spent on energy circulating within the community. By creating local jobs for these rural communities it naturally will inspire people to continue to thrive in their own respective communities. Wind turbines connect people to the source of their electricity, which characteristically inspires them to become more efficient and even more environmentally responsible (www.windustry.org).

Wind energy is a field that deserves to be delved in to more deeply because it not only will benefit various economies but it will provide a safer, cleaner environment for the world to progress in.