Wind Power

With the need of going greener, the world has looked for ways to be more sustainable with our energy consumption. Wind energy is one of these solutions. Originally used for sails, windmills, and windpumps, wind power is now being used to generate electricity around the world. This is usually generated from turbines that will usually be grouped together into a wind farm and connected to the electrical grid. In this article we will be going into depth about wind power and what it can offer the globe in its pursuit of sustainable energy.

What is wind power?

Wind power is a type of solar energy. It is generated when wind flows through and is harvested by a wind turbine and is used to generate electricity. The wind turbine will then convert the kinetic energy from the wind into power, which will be sent to a generator which converts it into electricity. This will all get sent to the national grid which then will power homes and businesses across the UK (or whichever grid it is sending the electricity to.)

What is a wind turbine?

Understanding how a wind turbine works is quite simple. Usually there will be 3 rotor blades that once hit by wind will begin to rotate. This motion will begin to turn a rotor, which will then spin the generator to create the kinetic energy we use for creating electricity. A wind turbine system is very simple, and it also doesn’t require a lot of wind for it to work effectively. Obviously, the higher up will help with the likeliness of wind, which is why wind turbine’s height average around 280 feet (this varies based on where the wind turbine will be placed.)

Location

To have a full wind farm for your turbines to generate enough electricity for an entire region requires a lot of space. For the UK this is usually the countryside. The countryside offers open space and hillside perfect for wind turbines to be placed to generate electricity. Although this has come with some resistance from locals (we will discuss this later) a great alternative is the ocean. Ocean wind farms are a great alternative for where to place a wind farm to be and is very easy for the turbines to generate electricity due to the conditions at sea. 

Positives 

Wind turbines are set to be one of the leading technologies in our mission for renewable energy and reducing our carbon footprint. This is due to the number of positives that comes with it. Here are just a few. 

Renewable source 

We wouldn’t be writing this article if it wasn’t the case, but wind power, is a renewable source of energy. Meaning we aren’t going to run out of it. Renewable energy is looking to being the future of our energy generation with it being sustainable and helping towards the reduction of our carbon footprint. 

Low Operating Costs

Although an expensive investment to begin with, once built a wind turbine/farm have very long operating costs. In a turbine itself there is very few moving parts that need maintaining and the “fuel” for the turbine is wind, which is free! It is important to know that for offshore wind farms, due to sea waves and high winds, they are more at risk of getting damaged so operating costs would increase to maintain these wind farms. 

Job Creation

With the focus on sustainability and renewable energy, more jobs have come from the use of this technology. In the US alone “there are over 120,000 people working in the U.S. wind industry.” By increasing the demand for wind turbines will only help create more jobs in the future which will not only lead to a passive effect on our environment but to our economy as well. 

Negatives

Wind power has come a great way over the years, and we see it being one of the leading energy creation methods in the future. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues with turbines and how they can affect you and the environment. Which we will discuss below. 

Location

One of the main resistances to wind turbines is the location and space they take up. In the UK the main area they are used is the countryside with their wide-open space and hillsides. This has caused resistance from locals and hikers as they believe it to ruin the natural aesthetic of the countryside and makes it more “built-up”, which most people in the countryside are trying to avoid and prefer their rural lifestyle. 

Noise 

Another issue with wind turbines, comes the amount of noise they generate. Wind farms are known to make quite a bit of noise and are even known to cause noise pollution, although this issue is directly aimed at wind farms, the wind turbines are known to create some sound. Especially with people living in rural areas who to try and avoid noise, for the countryside to suddenly having constant sound coming from the wind turbines. 

Wildlife 

Where wind farms being set up in the ocean or in the countryside, this has caused some risk to local wildlife. Although we are unaware just how much they impact the local wildlife yet, the danger usually involves bird wildlife and fish. To install a wind farm into the ocean requires a lot of drilling of the ocean floor which can destroy marine habitats in the local area. 

Wind power is a great step into the future in hopes we can reduce our carbon footprint. By reducing the need for fossil fuels and replacing them with renewable energy shows we’re heading in the right direction for sustainability.

Although Wind power is not the sole renewable energy we are going to be using in the future, things like solar, geothermal, and hydropower are other types of renewable energy that we use today that are only going to improve in the future.

For more information regarding types of renewable energy check out our blog here.