The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which is
part of The U.S. Department of Energy, has developed The Energy Wind
Program which is leading a thrust in the U.S. to improve performance,
speed up technological advances and lower the cost of using wind
turbines for energy creation. The program is working in cooperation with
U.S. industry, academic and national laboratory sources to speed up
research and development of more efficient and long lasting turbines.
The Energy Wind Program Has Specific Attainable Goals
The Wind Program has set forth specific goals in order to put the power created by wind turbines in a position of being an attractive and affordable alternative to fossil fuels through the remainder of the 21st century.
The stated goals are:
1. To increase the number of turbines in use in the United States to 12,000, up from 2,400 in 2007.
2. Reduce the cost that consumers pay for electricity generated by wind generators.
3. Change and improve the way electricity generated by turbines interacts through the U.S. power grids and make wind power more competitive from a cost standpoint for developers and builders of wind power systems.
4. Increase the number of states using wind power to generate electricity to 30 states, up from 8 states as of 2002.
How Do Wind Turbines Work?
Turbines operate on very simple mechanical principles. When the wind blows, the energy contained in wind pushes on two or three blades that resemble propellers on an aircraft. The propeller blades turn around a rotor which is connected to a main shaft (similar to the interconnecting gears and shaft on an automobile transmission). The shaft spins a generator similar to those in hydroelectric plants and the end result is generated electricity.
Challenges and Advantages of Using Wind Power to Create Energy
While from a theoretical standpoint the use of wind to create energy makes a lot of sense, like everything else it must be cost efficient to be truly worthwhile as an investment. Wind power is still struggling somewhat to compete with existing older methods of creating energy from the cost perspective. The cost of wind power has been decreasing quite a lot during the last decade but in some parts of the U.S. it is still more expensive to develop than older fossil-fueled generators.
And some of the best locations for building wind farms or large grids of wind turbines are far away from the cities where the electricity is needed the most. Therefore, large transmission lines must be built to get the wind power to where it is needed most. There have also been other difficulties to deal with that were not initially considered or recognized when turbines were first developed. There has been some concern with the noise generated by turbine rotor blades, safety factors (such as an instance where a huge wind generator located in Europe malfunctioned and flew apart) and birds accidentally flying into the turbine blades and rotors.
While these challenges are being worked out, it is still clear that wind turbines create a clean fuel product generated from a free, endless supply source. Wind power doesn't contribute to such problems as acid rain or problems in the atmosphere. Wind energy is something that really has no end to its supply. Because wind is actually a form of solar energy, as long as the sun is still generating energy there will always be wind energy and a need for wind powered turbines.
The Energy Wind Program Has Specific Attainable Goals
The Wind Program has set forth specific goals in order to put the power created by wind turbines in a position of being an attractive and affordable alternative to fossil fuels through the remainder of the 21st century.
The stated goals are:
1. To increase the number of turbines in use in the United States to 12,000, up from 2,400 in 2007.
2. Reduce the cost that consumers pay for electricity generated by wind generators.
3. Change and improve the way electricity generated by turbines interacts through the U.S. power grids and make wind power more competitive from a cost standpoint for developers and builders of wind power systems.
4. Increase the number of states using wind power to generate electricity to 30 states, up from 8 states as of 2002.
How Do Wind Turbines Work?
Turbines operate on very simple mechanical principles. When the wind blows, the energy contained in wind pushes on two or three blades that resemble propellers on an aircraft. The propeller blades turn around a rotor which is connected to a main shaft (similar to the interconnecting gears and shaft on an automobile transmission). The shaft spins a generator similar to those in hydroelectric plants and the end result is generated electricity.
Challenges and Advantages of Using Wind Power to Create Energy
While from a theoretical standpoint the use of wind to create energy makes a lot of sense, like everything else it must be cost efficient to be truly worthwhile as an investment. Wind power is still struggling somewhat to compete with existing older methods of creating energy from the cost perspective. The cost of wind power has been decreasing quite a lot during the last decade but in some parts of the U.S. it is still more expensive to develop than older fossil-fueled generators.
And some of the best locations for building wind farms or large grids of wind turbines are far away from the cities where the electricity is needed the most. Therefore, large transmission lines must be built to get the wind power to where it is needed most. There have also been other difficulties to deal with that were not initially considered or recognized when turbines were first developed. There has been some concern with the noise generated by turbine rotor blades, safety factors (such as an instance where a huge wind generator located in Europe malfunctioned and flew apart) and birds accidentally flying into the turbine blades and rotors.
While these challenges are being worked out, it is still clear that wind turbines create a clean fuel product generated from a free, endless supply source. Wind power doesn't contribute to such problems as acid rain or problems in the atmosphere. Wind energy is something that really has no end to its supply. Because wind is actually a form of solar energy, as long as the sun is still generating energy there will always be wind energy and a need for wind powered turbines.
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