What are your views on wind as an energy source?
Saturday, May 15th, 2010 at
4:22 pm
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Filed under: Wind Power
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Wind is great where it belongs (in constantly windy areas) and horrible where it doesn’t belong (in areas without a constant wind). The large wind turbines cost up to $6 million, so they aren’t just placed anywhere, but in places where they will hardly ever stop producing power, if the local grid can handle all the power they produce. Just like EVERY source of power, wind turbines have planned and unplanned stopages. Every source of power is backed up by another source. Usually it’s in the form of excess power borrowed from one region and sent over powerlines to another region. Sometimes a backup power source is needed to be started up, but almost always it’s gas, which can be started up in an hour at the most.
As with any power source, wind turbines aren’t invisible. I’d rather see a wind turbine slowly turning (these aren’t the bird choppers of the 1980′s anymore) than a line of a thousand coal carrying rail cars and huge smokestacks belching poisons into the air. Every form of power also needs to be transmitted from where it is produced to where it is used, that’s what power lines do. Nicoli Tesla died before he patented his device for transmitting electricity through the air without power lines, so we’re stuck with them for now. So many wind turbines are being built now because the power they create is so cheap- cheaper than new coal fired power plants that have at least some environmental controlls, but not as cheap as the old coal fired plants that don’t have to have any environmental controlls.
I believe it is the most efficient, reliable renewable energy source.
We need more if it! I am not for Obama developing and controlling it but rather want to see the private sector drive that process.
It’s the most expensive of all alternative energy sources, which makes it a bad investment, economically. The only reason you’re seeing more development is for publicity. It’s just for show, mostly. This might change, given time.
Also, they’re VERY tough on birds, and not helping in conservation of raptors, themselves already pressured by other issues.
Wind energy is very beneficial; where err comes in, is man!
Well I do believe it is beneficial but it’s not a cure all. The main hang up with wind power is that it only works when the wind is blowing so you need 100% backup generation when it’s not blowing, typically a coal fired plant. To make things worse it takes a day or two to get a coal fired plant up and running so you can’t just switch it on and off as the wind starts and stops. (Though with a good wind forecast you can burn less coal when it is windy. There is also some concern about bird and bat kills in some locations. It also alters the view. Another concern is that transmission (moving) electricity is expensive and wasteful and you can’t just stick a windmill anywhere. I don think thigh that wind wil be an important component of moving away from fossil fuel producing of energy, but it’s not a cure all.
It is not the most expensive alternative energy source, It is expensive if you consider the cost of windmills, and their expected lifespan vs, that of a coal fired plant, but Solar power would have WAY higher cosits given that method. Solar of course has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The most efficient way would be to surround Washington, DC, with wind energy farms, to use all the wind coming from there.
I live in a third world country. one province in our country uses wind energy… I think it is not so expensive because we are able to afford it. But i am not an authority in whether it is really expensive or what.
no doubt, its really a good source of energy, in short ”blessings of ALLAH”
not even just the air but also , water, fuels, wastage of animals etc.
its a gud source nd should b exploited by every1,bt sun is much better
Wind is a useful source of energy but not suited to every environment. Also, the sight of vast white windmills dotting the landscape is not the most appealing. The amount of energy produced also depends on the wind strength. At present though expensive, any energy produced by wind is a saving on our dwindling supplies of oil but not a realistic alternative. Solar power has more promise as it does not need blazing sunshine to work and is developing quickly. One interesting concept is the solar updraft tower which has been proven to work in Spain. There are interesting advances being made too in undersea power. Finally, I have recently heard of a company in US called Blacklight Power which claims to have developed a new energy source from the hydrogen atom. Blacklight Power claims it can produce electricity at a fraction of the normal cost. If this proves true (and the scientific world is falling over itself trying to condemn it as breaking the laws of quantum mechanics) then oil will no longer be a key player on the world stage. A scientist friend who works for Aramco in Saudi Arabia reckons it would fall to about $4 a barrel. Just imagine what that could mean to the world if the Middle East was no longer important to our energy requirements. A far more peaceful future for all of us. I will be watching Blacklight Power very closely and hoping it is the real thing.