Wind energy is the energy that wind has by virtue of its motion. When this energy is used to do some useful work, it is called wind power. With traditional energy sources like coal, oil and gas depleting quickly, people have turned to renewable sources of energy, like sun, wind, biomass, etc.
Historical Background
Harnessing wind energy is nothing new to mankind. For many ages sailors have used wind energy to sail the vast oceans and explore new lands. Wind mills have also been used for many centuries to grind grain and draw water. But with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, there was an explosion in use of fossil fuels and wind energy was delegated to the sidelines. However, with oil prices sky rocketing around 1970s, people again started looking for alternative and renewable sources of energy, and so the interest in wind energy has been renewed.
Wind Energy Clean Energy
Wind energy is a clean form of energy because it doesn’t cause air or water pollution. It is available freely and abundantly. And it will remain available for ever. Wind energy can be utilized to generate electricity, power vehicles and draw water using pumps. Some companies are also looking to use wind energy to power cargo ships on-sea when the wind speed is good.
Wind Farms to Produce Electricity
Wind farms are huge areas of land that use wind blowing at the rate of 8 kph (kilometer per hour) or higher to turn wind turbines that in turn produce electricity. Wind speeds up to 54 kph can be used. Beyond this the speed of the wind can cause damage to the turbines themselves. The great thing about wind farms is that the area in between the turbines can be used for other purposes, like farming.
Photo Courtesy: www.energydigital.com
Global Capacity of Wind Energy
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) report, global wind capacity is set to double from 318 GigaWatts in 2013 to 600 GigaWatts in 2018. By 2050 25% of global energy needs will be met by wind energy. These figures tell us how popular wind energy is becoming by the day, and rightly so.
Detractors point out that wind turbines are ugly and noisy, their blades kill birds and wind speed is quite unreliable. But these should be taken as challenges to be overcome rather than bog us down in pursuit of clean, green and renewable wind energy.
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