Energy is a major problem today, not only for our country, but for the sake of our planet. Only a few decades ago, people might not have realized how much of an environmental impact they were making on the earth. The 20th century was all about technology- cars, phones, computers-they were all new. To the people of this era, the energy sources probably seemed harmless and plentiful. If you fast forward a few years, you'll see that this is no longer the case. Today, low supplies of fossil fuels send the human race into a state of panic. Just as important, many of the power sources we are using have a negative effect on the planet. The importance of finding a clean power source that will last is very high. But now, scientists are taking a hint from our ancestors by using the power of the elements.
Windmill
Since very early in human civilization, people have been using the power of wind. In the 5000's B.C., wind power propelled boats down the Nile. A couple thousand years later, around 200 B.C., windmills were pumping water in China. Only a century ago, and still sometimes today, farms use windmills to grind food. Now, we are finding inspiration from all of these places to harness the wind's energy. Giant machines called turbines capture the wind's power with kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that an object possesses because of the motion it is in.
Vertical axis wind turbine
Wind energy is actually categorized as solar power because the sun's heat is used to do work. But what does the sun have to do with wind energy? Wind is created by a few different things; the rotation of the earth and the heating of the atmosphere. When the atmosphere is heated, the hot air rises. This provides spaces for the cool air to rush down into, causing a wind. There are two types of wind turbines; horizontal axis and vertical axis. The horizontal is more common, typically with 3 blades, and 100-200 ft. The vertical axis turbine looks like a giant egg beater, with 2 blades, sometimes called after Georges Darrieus, its inventor. The horizontal axis wind turbine can capture the most wind and is seen far more often than the vertical axis. The amount of energy harnessed from the machine varies depending on the size of it and the rate of the wind, but can range within 100 kilowatts to several megawatts. Turbines are often grouped together at a single location called a "wind plant" or "wind farm".
Inside a wind turbine
The process of gathering the wind's energy is fairly simple. The wind blows on the blades, causing them to spin. The blades are connected to a shaft inside the turbine, which turns when the blades do. After the shaft, a series of gears are added; reason being that the wind spinning the blades alone would not generate nearly enough electricity as needed, so the gears are added to make the blades spin faster, creating more kinetic energy. The gears connect to a generator which then converts the power. This energy can wither be made into mechanical power, to do common tasks, or electricity. After conversion, it can be sent through transmission lines to any homes, schools or businesses.
Wind farm
There are several other advantages to wind energy than just the fact that it does not emit pollutants or green house gases into the air .Unlike many of our energy sources today, there is an unlimited amount of wind, due to the fact that it is created by the heating of the atmosphere. The turbines do not require much maintenance or additional supplies, such as water for cooling. Because there isn't expensive upkeep cost, it is a fairly cheap power source. Wind energy can also boost the economy. Since good wind spots are in large open spaces, like rural farmland, many wind plants are located there. This helps some farmers stay in business because they get paid to have the turbines on their land.
Wind turbines in the ocean
However, like anything, this process has its disadvantages. Because there are many wind farms in rural areas, there has to be transmission lines and roads built to transfer the energy from the farm to the cities where it's needed. Obviously, it also costs to build the machine, which is not cheap, so when the wind isn't blowing, it really isn't paying for itself. There have been several reports about birds and bats flying into the turbine's blades and getting killed. People are also complaining about the noise the machine generates and, in a few cases, how they ruin the natural view.
But everything in this world has problems, and in this case, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. After all, the most important thing is that we find a power source with little or no environmental footprint. Though some flying animals have been killed by this, it is not the majority of the reason they are dying. Animals are affected by the pollutants in the air and litter on the ground much more than a wind turbine. And though people might feel that they ruin the natural scenery of the earth, pollution would surely ruin it more. I think wind energy is a key to the future. Maybe not everything will be powered by wind, but we can still take some hints from process and find better energy sources from nature. Our world is becoming more and more evolved when it comes to technology, and we need something to power it all. Energy is becoming a very critical part of our future, and wind energy can be a way to solve the puzzle.
Works Cited
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