Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Wind Energy
To what extent is wind power an effective from of renewable energy? The question is an important one when situated within the context of today's world of energy wars (as in the Middle East), air pollution causing cancer (as indicated by the World Health Organization), and more and more communities looking to "go green" all over the world. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of wind power? This essay will address this question and discuss just some of the ways that wind power can be utilized to change the way we live our lives.
As Sahin (2004) notes, wind energy is a "clean, practical, economical and environmentally friendly alternative" to energy created from other sources which damage the planet and ruin the health of individuals, such as the burning of fossil fuels (p. 501). Wind power is effective at cutting energy production costs, it has been utilized in industries around the world, and it is now viewed as a direct competitor of other energy producers (Sahin, 2004). But what is wind energy and how does it work to be an effective producer?
As Herbert et al. (2007) observe, wind power is the "indirect form of solar energy and is always being replenished by the sun" (p. 1117). Therefore, unlike a fossil fuel, it is never in scarce supply. (This may be one reason that energy companies don't like it -- there is less likelihood of them...
On the contrary, wind energy is plentiful and renewable -- and, best of all, it is clean. But how does it work? Wind is created by the sun's rays, which heat the earth differentially. As the earth heats and cools, it releases energy in the form of wind, which has been estimated to contain "10 million MW of energy" at any one given time (Herbert et al., 2007, p. 1117) -- however, maximum energy power depends upon the site and the wind speed that is there, and this changes from place to place and time to time (Shepherd, Zhang, 2011, p. 68). Nonetheless, there are some disadvantages to wind energy, as researchers around the world have shown.
First off, the component parts of wind turbines face various shortfalls, regarding noise and breakdown (Herbert et al., 2007). However, in the 1990s, wind power development made significant strides in overcoming a series of hurdles to make it a more effective energy producer and the disadvantages of noise and technical reliability have for the most part been reduced (Ackermann, Soder, 2000).
But noise and technology are not the only drawbacks. It is also important to have good wind sites and this can be problematic as some of the windiest places on the planet are in hard-to-reach locations, away from urban areas where the electricity is most in demand. This requires lengthy lines…
References
Ackermannn, T., Soder, L. (2000). Wind energy technology and current status: a review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 4(4): 315-374.
Boyle, G. (2012). Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. UK: Oxford.
Herbert, G. et al. (2007). A review of wind energy technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 11(6): 1117-1145.
Sahin, A. (2004). Progress and recent trends in wind energy. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 30(5): 501-543.
Energy.gov. Retrieved from http://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy
How Has Globalization Changed International Politics?IntroductionGlobalization is defined as �an intensification of cross-border interactions and interdependence between countries� (Oldemeinen, 2011). In other words, it is a process by which the social, political, and economic world order depends upon integration of states around the world. It is not, however, viewed as a positive development by all. As Rodrik (1998) points out, �the process that has come to be called �globalization� is
Around 21 billion of co2 is launched into the environment annually which is too much for the environment of Earth to neutralise or utilise normally. The manufacturing of co2 from burning non-renewable fuel sources is among the most considerably important contributing greenhouse gases. The boost of greenhouse gases in the environment is developing a substantial increase in worldwide temperature level which is a direct link in between non-renewable fuel
Community's Source of Energy An Examination of Energy Sources in the Willows Community of Gilbert, Arizona The community of Willows is located in the city of Gilbert, Arizona. It is an HOA community of single family homes, with a number of amenities included. As with any community, it has power usage needs that have to be considered. Before the community was built, the issue of how to get power to the
Alternate Energy in Daily Life Imagine that you could travel in time, much like Doc Brown and Marty McFly in the movie Back to the Future. Suppose you traveled back to 1955 with the Doc and Marty and asked a resident of 1955 what the year 2011 would be like. Would he predict hybrid cars, or flying cars? Would he believe that the United States has a moon base -- or
For one thing, while the deregulation of Spanish retail markets has driven interest among the nation's utilities to differentiate themselves and so win overall share, Iberdrola is already competing quite effectively on its renewable power proposition -- it is likely that most Spaniards who want to go green have already done so. Should Endesa require additional renewable capacity to meet demand, it also has the relatively captive resources of its
Decreased Usage of Nuclear Energy: A Qualitative Content Analysis A Dissertation Presented using the Qualitative Content-Analysis Komi Emmanuel Fiagbe Gbedegan Christina Anastasia PH-D, Chair [Committee Name], [Degree], Committee Member [Committee Name], [Degree], Committee Member Date Approved Komi Emmanuel Fiagbe Gbedegan, 2016 A qualitative content analysis will be conducted to explore the phenomenon of decreased usage of nuclear energy at a time when global climate change indicates the need for increased usage of nuclear energy. Qualitative analysis involves obtained