Wind Power

Wind power is very affordable

Wind power costs have decreased of almost 90% since 1980.

It’s current price is less than 4 cent per kilowatt-hour. Coal cost an average 12 cent per kilowatt. This may not seem like a big difference, but when billions of kilowatts of energy are produces, it makes a huge difference.

For most types of energy, fuel is one of the most expansive components, but for wind energy you do not need this.

The most expansive part of wind energy is building the turbines, and positioning them.

Wind energy is also a field that is studied closely. There have been many technical improvements made. For examples the wind turbines made today are much taller than the ones made when wind energy was first used.

20 years ago, wind turbines produced 200 times less energy then they do today.

One reason for the great increase is that many country’s have laws and regulations that favor renewable energy’s, such as wind water, and sun.

Wind energy in the U.S

In 2005 the U.S installed 2,400 megawatts of wind power. When only a total of 6700 megawatts of energy had been installed before that. Since 2005, the U.S started getting more involved, and the U.S currently has 25000 megawatts of energy.

Wind Power is environmentally friendly

Wind power doesn’t cause any pollution while it’s created, or while it’s being used.

“Development of just 10% of the wind potential in the 10 windiest U.S. states would provide more than enough energy to displace emissions from the nation’s coal-fired power plants and eliminate the nation’s major source of acid rain; reduce total U.S. emissions of CO2 by almost a third; and help contain the spread of asthma and other respiratory diseases aggravated or caused by air pollution in this country.” stated the awea website.

A wind turbine converts the power of the wind into rotational force with it’s rotor blades. This in turn is transformed into electrical energy with a generator. The amount of energy that is converted depends on the rotor area, and most importantly the wind speed. The more speed, the more energy is created. No toxic gases are released, no dangerous chemicals are used, and no trash is produced.

Wind power is not environmentally friendly

Wind turbines kill wildlife. The spinning turbines pull birds and bats in with the air, and then the turbine kills them. The noise of the turbines also affect wildlife. Many animals need to live in a peaceful environment, the wind turbines are almost as loud as a helicopter.