It has been estimated that almost 86% of energy used annually in the U.S. is from the combustion of fossil fuels. The pollution from these fossil fuels is responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sources of fossil fuels-non-renewable resources that take millions of years to form-are being depleted everyday. A report put out by SRI International estimates that it would take roughly 4.2 billion solar rooftops, 300 million wind turbines, 2,500 nuclear power plants or 200 Three Gorges Dams to replace the amount of oil consumed worldwide each year.¹ Efforts are being made all over the world to find alternatives to our current energy crisis. Unfortunately, none of these renewable energy solutions are growing fast enough to displace the use of fossil fuels. At this point, wind power is one of the most abundant and sustainable ways to generate renewable energy without any toxic emissions.
The use of wind power has been around for centuries. Many parts of the world, most notably in Holland, have been using windmills to grind grains and pump water since the 7th century. It wasn’t until 1979 that the modern wind power industry began with a serial production of wind turbines in Denmark-later influencing the US, India, Germany and Spain to install turbines in the 1980s and 1990s. With a new global focus on alternative energy solutions, a stronger demand is being put on the wind industry. Thousands of wind turbines are operating around the world and most are concentrated in Europe. Denmark already meets about 20 percent of its electricity demand from wind power-more than any other country in the world. As for annual wind power generation and installed wind power capacity, Germany is the leading producer, followed by the United States, Spain, India, and finally China.
In the United States, more wind capacity has been added to the energy grid in recent years than any other country. The majority of this capacity is located in California, Texas (now the largest wind producing state), Iowa, and Minnesota, but there are wind power projects either in operation or under development in at least 36 states. According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind will generate enough electricity in 2008 to power just over 1% (4.5 million households) of total electricity in U.S., up from less than 0.1% in 1999.²
Due to an increased demand and refined technology, the cost of electricity from wind power has dropped by 80% in the last 20 years. One of the most cost-effective ways to maximize the amount of electricity from each wind farm is by choosing the site location carefully. The power available from the wind is a function of the CUBE of the wind speed, which means that, all other things being equal, a turbine at a site with 5 meters/second (m/s) winds will produce nearly twice as much power as a turbine at a location where the wind averages 4 m/s.³
The American Wind Energy Association, https://cleanpower.org/, offers a good explanation of the benefits of wind energy:
* Greater fuel diversity and less dependence on fossil fuels, which are often subject to rapid price fluctuations and supply problems. This is a significant issue around the world today, with many countries rushing to install gas-fired electric generating capacity because of its low capital cost. As world gas demand increases, the prospect of supply interruptions and fluctuations will grow, making further reliance on it unwise and increasing the value of diversity.
* Greatly reduced environmental impacts per unit of energy produced, compared with conventional power plants. Environmental costs are becoming an increasingly important factor in utility resource planning decisions. Wind energy system operations do not generate air or water emissions and do not produce hazardous waste. Nor do they deplete natural resources such as coal, oil, or gas, or cause environmental damage through resource extraction and transportation, or require significant amounts of water during operation. Wind’s pollution-free electricity can help reduce the environmental damage caused by power generation in the U.S. and worldwide.
* More jobs per unit of energy produced than other forms of energy. The Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) estimates that every megawatt of installed wind capacity creates about 4.8 job-years of employment, both direct (manufacturing, construction, operations) and indirect (advertising, office support, etc.). This means that a 50-MW wind farm creates 240 job-years of employment.
* Long-term income to ranchers and farmers who own the land on which wind farms are built-providing steady income through lease or royalty payments. Although leasing arrangements vary widely, a reasonable estimate for income to a landowner from a single utility-scale turbine is about $3,000 a year. For a 250-acre farm, with income from wind at about $55 an acre, the annual income from a wind lease could be $14,000, with no more than 2-3 acres removed from production.
How You Can Support Wind Energy:
With wind being the world’s fastest growing energy provider, you may be interested in supporting or investing in the industry. Fortunately, there are different options available for the average American to get involved in the wind movement. One way many people are getting involved is by investing in publicly owned companies with wind energy interests. Most of the companies you identify will fall into two categories: “pure play” – those whose business is exclusively focused on wind power; and, diversified corporations with a range of operations, including some wind power holdings. For a list of companies operating in the wind industry, visit the Member Directory on AWEA’s Web site, https://cleanpower.org/
Another, more direct way, of getting involved in the wind industry is by purchasing wind power as part of a green power program. Check your local electricity market to see what companies provide green power, or you can purchase on-site renewable energy sources to be installed directly in your home. If you are interested in furthering the global benefits of wind development (like reduction of greenhouse gas emissions) but do not have the option of supporting a local wind industry, you can consider buying Tradable Renewable Certificates (sometimes called renewable energy credits, or green tags). By purchasing green tags, you are assured that the renewable energy they represent is being generated somewhere. For more detailed information about green power programs, green tag certification, and on-site wind power development, visit AWEA’s Green Power Resource Center.
¹http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/09/energy-solar-green-biz-energy-cx_bp_0709atlas.html
²http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power
³http://www.awea.org/
