Wind Turbines Alternative Renewable Clean Energy

Introduction to Wind Energy

Around the world, wind turbines of all sizes have become a familiar sight.

Their purpose is simple: harvesting the energy in wind.

Wind turbines today are up to the task of producing serious amounts of electricity. Turbines vary in size from small 1 kW structures to large machines rated at 2 MW or more. A popular sized machine in the U.S. today is a state-of-the-art 1,650 kW turbine that stands as tall as a 30-story building. With a good wind resource, this size turbine can produce 5 million kWh of electricity each year. That's enough energy to run 500 average American households.

Wind is the fastest growing energy technology in the world. In 1999, the world wind industry installed more than 3,900 megawatts (MW). Four years later, the world installed more than double that amount with 8,133 MW of new wind in 2003, representing $9 billion of investment. In 2004, there are nearly 40,000 MW of wind installed around the world Much of that growth is due to cost reductions and progressive government policies.

The pace of growth has been greatest in Europe, where 67 percent of the world's new wind equipment was installed 2003, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Germany has the highest total wind capacity of any country, nearly 15,000 MW. Here in the United States, our total wind capacity reached 6,740 MW by the end of 2004, with large scale wind turbines operating in 25 states and projects in the works in several other states. The World Energy Council has estimated that wind energy capacity worldwide may total as much as 474,000 MW by the year 2020, and the American Wind Energy Association is seeking 100,000 MW in the US by 2020.

Wind energy gained a foothold in the nation's heartland in the 1990s, which has far greater wind potential than in California where the U.S. wind industry got started in the 1980s. In Minnesota, a 1994 legislative mandate required Xcel Energy Company (formerly Northern States Power) to purchase 425 MW of wind generated electricity by 2002 in return for granting dry cask storage of its spent nuclear fuel. Because wind was demonstrated to be the least cost resource, Xcel is required to purchase an additional 400 MW of wind generation by 2012. The Texas state legislature has required that 2,000 MW of generating capacity from renewable sources (equivalent to about 3% of the state's electricity production) be built by 2009, with most expected to come from the state's abundant wind power. Many other states have implemented goals and standards for renewable energy in recent years, significantly expanding the market for wind power.

The Midwest has provided leadership in developing wind energy incentives to ensure that more clean, renewable power is integrated into our energy mix. The largest growth will likely come from wind power plants, which are large arrays of turbines run by wind companies, but significant contributions can be made by small clusters of turbines or even single turbines, operated by local landowners and small businesses.

Economic Advantages of Wind Energy

Developing local sources to meet our energy needs means that we import less fuel from other states, regions, and nations. That means our energy dollars are plowed back into the local economy. Wind energy can also help diversify the economies of rural communities. The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America program expects wind power to add $60 billion in capital investment; provide $1.2 billion in new income for farmers, Native Americans, and rural landowners; and create 80,000 permanent jobs by 2020.

Wind energy is a hedge for the future as our traditional fossils fuels become more scarce and public policies assign environmental costs to sources of pollution.

Environmental Advantages of Wind Energy

Most people are aware that burning coal releases harmful particulate emissions that cause breathing problems and asthma, and that it releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain. Coal is also one of the primary contributors of the carbon dioxide that causes global warming and mercury contamination of our lakes and fish. Natural gas is a cleaner option than coal, but it still produces considerable air pollution and contributes to global warming. Nuclear energy produces no particulate emissions, but it creates dangerous radioactive wastes which will require thousands of years of careful storage. All three sources--coal, nuclear power, and especially natural gas--are limited fuels. Today, they compose the bulk of our electric generation sources.

Wind, on the other hand, is a completely renewable fuel source. As long as the sun shines, the winds will blow. And wind power produces no health risks and no air pollution.

Disadvantages of Wind Energy

Wind energy is a variable resource: we get electricity only when the wind blows. Although modern wind turbines regulate power well and level off at their rated capacity, the amount of power they produce varies throughout the day. Hundreds of installations have demonstrated that utility systems are capable of accommodating the changing wind power just as they modify their output to follow changing demand. Experts predict that wind power can compose 20% or more of our energy mix before reliability of the system would be an issue. As the chart above shows less than 1% of our electricity is produced by wind in the United States today.

Wind energy is also capital intensive. That's why local, state, and federal governments must support wind energy development through production incentives and public policy to encourage its growth and technological advancement. Such support does make a difference. Wind power now costs as little as 3¢ per kWh in the U.S., down from 50¢ per kWh in 1981.

In summary, modern wind turbines safely and efficiently turn wind into useable energy. Hundreds of rural landowners throughout the country have learned how to harvest the wind. Many of these people have been operating small turbines on their farms for years. Others are just beginning to investigate the large wind turbines. As they would with any investment, these landowners must carefully weigh the benefits and risks and research just what a wind turbine on their property would involve.

As a nation, we can have decided that clean, renewable, domestically produced energy is a priority. When we account for the full cost of energy production, wind energy is the clear winner. We cannot afford to wait to do the right thing anymore. Wind power is an energy technology for the 21st century that we can all feel good about.