Wind energy has been used to sail ships, grind grains and, more recently, to generate electricity.
It’s a power source that has been used for thousands of years, and one that does not release toxins into the air.
“It’s one of the cleanest forms,” said Harvey Good, emeritus professor of biology.
As a clean energy source, it can help reduce global warming because it does not produce air or water pollution. This is because fuel is neither used nor burned which is what causes pollutants to be released.
Biology professor Jeff Burkhart said that wind should be more commonly used as an energy source because there are a lot of windy places and compared to the rising costs of carbon-based fuels, wind is free.
Wind is produced by uneven heating and cooling of the earth’s surface, and when utilized as energy, it becomes an alternative power source.
Wind energy is harvested in wind farms that hold clusters of wind machines that collect kinetic energy in the blades that can be as long as football fields.
One machine can provide power to 150 to 400 homes by generating anywhere from 1.5 to 4 million kWh of electricity a year. Horizontal-axis and vertical-axis are the two types of wind machines used, with horizontal-axis wind machines making up about 95 percent.
Wind Amplified Rotor Platform is another kind of wind system that is intended to be more efficient and take up less land than wind machines.
The WARP does not have large blades and is able to amplify wind speeds by 50 percent or more.
Wind is a renewable energy source because as long as the sun shines, wind will blow. However, wind does not blow all the time and at those times other power plants must be used to provide energy.
Good said that wind farms must be properly placed in areas where wind is consistently blowing from seven to 25 miles an hour, 75 percent of the time.
It is important to consider how fast and how much wind blows in a specific area.
Burkhart said that there is a lot of empty land that can be converted to wind farms to create energy. The energy can then be transported to different areas using a power grid; however, as the wind energy travels it loses power.
Wind energy is only one type of alternative energy source but it is one of the most environmentally friendly.
Good said that even solar energy can be potentially hazardous because of some chemical pollution that is caused by the high temperatures of fluids used to generate solar energy.
Biology major Jon Ordonez said wind energy is a natural source that is abundant and it is better for the world because toxic waste is not produced. He believes the United States should look at other types of energy sources because oil is eventually going to run out.
Wind energy makes up less than one percent of electricity production in the United Sates with wind machines producing enough electricity to power 1.6 million homes.
Thirty states use wind machines to produce energy, with California producing the most.
Most wind farms are located in Europe and the United States. Germany produces the most wind power, followed by Spain and the United States.
Ginny Ceballos can be reached at gceballos@ulv.edu.
