That Other Quintessential Alt-Energy

Wind power ain’t what it used to be.

Certainly not a bad use by any means...

Wind energy is probably a close second  to solar energy in terms of cultural recognition. It’s difficult to say which one folks think first upon hearing “alternative energy”.

The kinetic energy of the wind has long been put to use by man. What school-child doesn’t know the story of Donkey Ho-Tei charging at the wind mills? (Thank you, Wishbone.)

However, in recent times “wind farms” are beginning to crop up all over, to the cheers of some and the chagrin of others.

Though some cry foul in that wind turbines deface the landscape, in general wind power is seen as a good clean way to harvest electricity. A quick run-through:

Pictures say a thousand words, and this one explains the technology in fewer words than I can. What’s great about wind energy is the source fuel is free, environmentally-hospitable, and renewable. What’s not so cool is the cost of installation and the whims of the weather gods.

Part of the issue with wind farms is the need for existing infrastructure — often times the places most suitable for wind farms (remote, rocky coastlines) don’t have the best access to power grids or a large user base. Consequently, wind turbines are often used on an individual basis to partly power an individual’s home (similar to solar roof-paneling). In fact, one website even gives tips on how to build one’s own 700-1000 watt turbine.

But the larger issue is again, cost. For turbines to be effective they must be intalled en masse in “wind farms”, which is of course (initially) very expensive.  Yet the prospect are looking good. For one thing,

Wind power available in the atmosphere is much greater than current world energy consumption. The most comprehensive study as of 2005 found the potential of wind power on land and near-shore to be 72 TW, equivalent to 54,000 MToE (million tons of oil equivalent) per year, or over five times the world’s current energy use in all forms. (Stanford University)

Additionally, the cost of electricity from wind energy has dropped 80%, often at less than 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, a rate competitive with conventionally-generated electricity. However, the cost of wind energy does depend on the location. (To be fair, this competitive price is often made possible by government subsidies.)

According to a March 2009 article,  the future looks bright (or should I say gusty?) for wind energy. While wind power’s current market penetration is at 1.3%, “it is expected to reach 3.35 % by 2013 and 8 % by 2018.”

Sweetness. Now for my irregularly scheduled bedtime.

——> Oh fail!

So the turbine is stuck??? Someone smack me in the head.

Advertisement