Wind Farming: Wind Energy: Eco20/20

Wind Farming

Wind farms are a large group of wind turbines. Each individual turbine produces electricity, and a large group of these turbines can create a great amount of electricity. These wind farms can consist of hundreds of individual turbines, and cover an expansive amount of land, over hundreds of square miles. Wind turbine farms can be located anywhere, even offshore in the ocean.

For a wind turbine to work, a high velocity of wind is required. Generally any wind movement over thirteen miles an hour is sufficient enough to produce electricity. The wind turns the propellers, which in turn creates energy. The individual turbines are connected by a medium voltage power connection, and delivered through a transformer after it increases the power production.

There are many places that are great locations for wind farms. Higher elevations are a good location because there is less solid matter for wind to have to go around, thus reducing the drag on the wind flow. Offshore is another good location, for the same reason. While wind is needed to power the turbines to create electricity, it is a good idea to stay away from places that have a high likelihood of sudden, powerful bursts of wind. This is because the propellers could loosen over time, and a stronger wind could knock the propellers completely off. The force of the propeller hitting the ground could bend or even break it, making maintenance costly, and the downtime of the wind turbine could be lengthy, resulting in a reduced electric output.

Wind energy does not create pollutants because it does not burn fuel. This reduces the carbon footprint of electricity creation. Another great advantage to the wind turbines is the fact that the spinning of the propellers help create and control a mini-climate in their general vicinity. The temperature remains more constant from day to night than areas outside of the wind farm. The temperatures are reported almost three degrees cooler during the day and almost three degrees warmer at night. Also, during frost season, the created turbulence breeze from the turbines helps protect crops from frost or freeze damage. Another byproduct advantage of wind farms on crops is the fact that the turbulence does not allow the unused moisture and pathogens in the atmosphere to remain on plants, leaving them safer from fungi growth that can stunt crop growth or damage the harvest field.

Because there are no engines or motors used to turn the propellers, the only sound the wind turbines make is a gentle whoosh. This is much preferable to the fuel burning generators that most people have for backup in case the main power to the building goes out.

The wind farms also help produce a tax base for local communities. By taxing the sale of the electricity to the grid, a tremendous economical impact can be made. Also, businesses can save the overhead of electric costs to be budgeted elsewhere.

As the research into wind farming continues, this is certain to be a great answer to the dependency on fossil fuels, to a growing economical problem and to environmental problems. Wind farming may be one of the green energy answers of the future.

Green Career Resources