Amazing Winds

Only used before to push sails and ships forward, wind power is now a source of energy also. Ages ago people either used wind to push ships forward to reach their desired destination or turned it into mechanical energy so they can use it to pump water or to grind grain. Babylonians back in the 17th century BC used wind to power their irrigation devices. Of course, the first windmills also made use of wind power to be able to supply water to farms and plant fields.

Nowadays, people have discovered that wind, amidst its already countless uses, can also be used as a source of electrical power. Wind power can be generated by using wind turbines. These wind turbines are rotating machines that produces mechanical energy by converting the kinetic energy of the wind. Now, selecting a good wind turbine site is essential in developing this wind power. Availability of transmission lines, value of energy to be produced, cost of land acquisition, land use considerations, and environmental impact of construction and operations are just some of the factors that one has to consider when setting up a wind turbine. Benefits like occurance of increased risk of aerodynamic modulation can be obtained from a good wind turbine set up as shown in the studies that have been done in the United Kingdom. Lower aerodynamic modulation often results in noise nuisance that can annoy people who live near the wind turbine site.

From capacities of only 20 to 30 kW, wind turbines these days are larger in size therefore making them more capable of producing greater wind power. These makes them efficient sources of energy for countries such as Germany, United States, Spain, India, China, Denmark and the Faeroe Islands, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Netherlands, Japan, Austria, Greece, Australia, Ireland, and Sweden among others. With 73, 904 kW of total wind power, 65% of these can be accounted to Europe. These countries who use wind power to produce energy enjoy negligible fuel costs and relatively low maintenance costs.

As for its effects on the environment, generating wind power does not need fuel for continuing operation and gives no direct emissions from or which are related to electricity production. Moreover, it has no by-products like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, particulates, or any other type of air pollution, making it a very environment-friendly way of generating energy. Although one negative effect of setting up these wind turbines that has been reported is its tendency to kill birds that fly or flock near the site’s area. But the number of dead birds can be considered negligible when compared to the number of number of people who die from other human activities such as traffic, hunting, power lines and high-rise buildings.

With only noise and a number of dead birds as its cons, electrical energy derived from wind power is definitely one safe way to produce electricity that we need to run our technology-powered lives.