SUMMARY: WIND

• Introduction to source:
  • What it is- Wind power is power obtained by harnessing the energy of the wind.
  • How it is classified- Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups: the horizontal-axis and the vertical-axis variety/ design. They can also be classified by their size or capacity (the amount of energy that can be produced). Others may classify wind turbines as upwind and downwind, constant and variable speed, direct-drive and gear-drive, on-grid and off-grid, and on-shore and off-shore turbines.
  • How the source works- They work like fans, except just the opposite concept. They produce electricity instead of using it. The wind turns the blades on the turbine, which spins a shaft, which connects to a generator to produce electricity.    
  • Where it comes from- Wind power comes from the wind spinning the blades on the turbine.
• Current use- Wind power provides electricity for about 3-4% of the world and growing. They are used to generate electricity for houses and businesses all over the world and people are starting to go this route because it has no carbon emissions and the maintenance cost is lower.
• Availability- Wind power is highly available and crucial for wind farms all around. Availability highly depends on an adequate maintenance system and a high system of reliability. The availability also depends on the speed of the wind and the density of the wind; it all depends on the environment.
• Sustainability- Some people may look at this energy source thinking it will always be a good way of energy but it’s not as sustainable as we may think. The generators used to make wind power don’t last forever and need to be maintained and replaced. It is an inefficient way of producing electricity that if we depended on it just like we do now for fossil fuels, our resources would be gone. You also must have the right area to get the right amounts of wind to obtain electricity.
• The costs of use
  • Setup- most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost about 3.5 million to be installed. Size differs the cost and the cost of the machines and financing also has a toll on this process. A 10 kilowatt machine (the size needed to power an average home) might cost $35,000-$50,000.
  • Operation- It has dropped 38% in the past four years. Both operation and maintenance go hand in hand. If the operation of your turbine is good then you will have a lot of downtime. Many people complain about the complications they have with their machines because it costs so much.
  • Maintenance- The maintenance costs of a new turbine will be very low but as the turbine ages these costs will increase about 10%. You have to constantly check the turbine or it will stop generating electricity.
  • Typical time for return of investment cost- The cost per kilowatt-hour of wind generated electricity are essential factors in determining whether a particular installation is worthwhile or not.(no given amount of time)

• Advantages & limitations/disadvantages of use
  • Social- Advantages: can still have farming around them because of the small space it takes up, people that do not have a grid can still produce their own supply of power using wind power, new jobs, and plays a role in third-world and developed countries. Disadvantages: they are noisy and they are unsure of how many houses they can produce/maintain energy for.
  • Physical- Advantages: interesting feature for landscaping and can provide energy for pretty much anywhere. Disadvantages: can harm wildlife, some think that it is unsightly, some believe that country sides should be left untouched for natural scenes, and noisy.
  • Technological- Advantages: can become the future of power and uses newer technology to produce the electricity needed. Disadvantages: can only work where there is a workable/ steady wind which limits the growth of wind power plants.
  • Energy conversion factor- Advantage: the wind is free so it is made easily, does not cause greenhouse gases.  Disadvantages: the strength of the wind is always changing so it doesn’t produce the same amount of electricity all the time and when being manufactured some pollution is produced.
• Environmental concerns and benefits- Wind power is very inexpensive and it doesn’t pollute our environment like all of the fossil fuels we use today. It can provide a long-term, stable, reliable form of power all over the world. It is also local so we can see where we are actually getting our power from. Some concerns would be the safety of the workers, environment problems such as birds and bats, flickering lights and the noise pollution. The economic side of things are a concern also because of the competition of energy sources and how many workers are needed to make this happen.   
• Future prospects- In the future, wind power will be the most cost effective source of electrical power. There will be a much higher demand for this source and the costs of building a turbine will hopefully go down. They will be all over the world but it won’t be our main energy source yet.

Questions: Would anyone use wind power as their main energy source? Why or why not?

http://www.technologystudent.com/energy1/wind8.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power

https://www.bnef.com/PressReleases/view/252

http://telosnet.com/wind/future.html