Archive for August 24, 2009
Spotlight: Wind Power
So often when we think of renewable energy, we think of solar. But what about wind?
Wind turbines.
There are plenty of advantages, such as:
- Wind is free and doesn’t create pollution. Any greenhouses gases created in the production of the wind turbines is negated within the first few months of energy production.
- Wind turbines take up much less land thank solar panels, so the surrounding land can be used for things like agriculture.
- Some people think the turbines are unsightly. I think they’re pretty! They’re like a symbol of the climate revolution for me.
There are some potential set-backs when considering wind power though.
- Wind turbines do create noise pollution. Commercial wind turbines sound like a small jet engine, so they can only be installed in remote areas, away from towns. Considering Australia’s small population as compared to land area, I don’t think this would be a problem though.
- Sometimes birds and bats are found dead around the base of the turbines. That’s a big one for me – I don’t like the idea of hurting the wildlife. I’m not sure how to get around this.
- You need to locate the wind turbines in areas where you get a lot of wind, otherwise the energy produced is too sporadic. Again, this isn’t a problem for Australia. We have plenty of big, open, windy spaces. You can even locate the turbines in the ocean! (I wonder what impact that would have on the ocean-life though.)
Wind is becoming more and more popular, and more commercially viable. Recently, in north-western America, over 2000 megawatts of energy were created by wind in just one hour!
For home production though, I think solar is better, since it’s silent, cheaper, easily installed on rooves and produced energy more reliably in most areas. For commercial energy, however, I think wind is a great way to go… except for the impact on wildlife. Any ideas on how to combat that?
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