Wind+Power

= Energy From the Wind =

Wind energy is actually an offshoot of solar energy because wind is caused by uneven heating of the earth's atmosphere. Heated air rises and then falls, forcing the air below to move out of the way to areas of lower pressure. The wind is then modified by the physical features of the earth: oceans, seas, mountains, deserts, forests, etc. Often, the wind is used to turn a mill to grind grain or wheat. Now, more often the wind turns a series of paddles which turn a turbine designed like a large battery. Wind turbines, like water turbines have a metal shaft spinning inside a coil connected to a generator. Like this site says, ([]) //"Simply stated, a wind turbine is the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity."//

Unfortunately, wind power is one of the most expensive and ineffective forms of renewable energy and for these reasons, wind power also has the most media coverage. The biggest problem with wind energy is the unreliability of wind. Wind often does not blow, or does not blow hard enough to move the giant fins. When the wind is blowing too hard, hard enough to damage the windmills, then the farm is turned off. Therefore, any society relying solely on wind power will have to deal with frequent power outages. As Charles Campbell states in the following article from the New York Times, that wind farms have little or no impact on carbon dioxide output, and in order to prevent power outages, a wind farm would have to employ the constant use of steam generators.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-wind-farms-20110725,0,3775881.story

In order to reach California's mandate (1/3 renewable energy by 2020), 17,000 megawatts must be produced. 8,500 of these will be from wind power. In order to produce that amount of electricity, "California would likely need to set aside an area equivalent to more than 70 Manhattans." And these areas occupied by wind turbines are inhabitable because of the emission of a layer of inaudible sound, called infrasound, that may be harmful to humans. [] According to Bryce, more natural resources are used than are saved in the area of wind technology. It takes about 200 tons of steel to create a single wind turbine with a capacity for 3-4 megawatts, compared with 9 tons for a natural gas turbine which produces 43 megawatts.

BP owns 10 windfarms in 7 states http://www.bp.com/managedlistingsection.do?categoryId=9037207&contentId=7068537&nicam=USCSEnergy_LabQ408&nisrc=Google&nigrp=Wind_Energy&nipkw=Wind_Energy&&niadv=wind_energy

A man in Russia named Laurie Chetwood believes that this 75 meter kite will overcome the next big energy jump.

http://cleancurrents.com/index.php/your-home/90-your-home-new Clean Currents is a company that encourages a switch from traditional energy sources to newer more energy efficient sources all over the country.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/wind-power/index.html

- wind is completely renewable - still a young field of study, not many possibilities have been explored
 * Pros:**

- expensive - unreliable - doesn't reduce carbon dioxide emissions, sometimes increases them - requires back up natural gas or other generator for when the wind is too soft or too strong - lots of maintenance - viewed as ugly by many community members who don't want a wind farm for a view - a wind farm takes up as much land as a dam - often operates way below estimated "production capacity" - infrasound - inaudible but potentially harmful to humans
 * Cons:**

**Other Wind Turbine Designs:**




ETI (Energy Technology Institute) in Britain created this "V-Wing Turbine" - click on pictures for links.

The wind rising up under the propeller suspended 100 ft above the ground pulls the craft against the suspension and creates the force to turn the propeller.