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Wind Energy: Pros & Cons
The Pros and Cons of Wind Energy Pros Price Competitive - Wind turbines are commercially produced and sold at prices that are relatively competitive to traditional power plants. No GHG Emissions - Does not create any pollution or contribute to the addition of greenhouse gases or global warming. Coal, oil and natural gas plants produce between one to two pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of electricity produced. - Wind turbines reduce dependence on fossil fuels. One 1.0MW turbine should produce __kWh of electricity, which eliminates the need to use __barrels of oil, __cubic feet of natural gas or __ tons of coal. Energy Efficient - Wind has a higher energy payback at 16 times compared to traditional energy generation, such as Natural Gas at 4 times, Coal at 11 times and Nuclear between 16 and 26 times. The complete UW-Madison study can be found here. Tax Revenue - Wind farms generate additional tax revenue for the local tax base. Green Jobs - The DOE estimates that growing wind to 20% of U.S. electricity generation by 2020 would add 800,000 direct and ancillary jobs. Reaching 30% of global electricity generation by 2050 would add an estimated 2 million green jobs. Energy Independence - Cons PTC Dependent - xxxxxxxxx Visually Unappealing - Some have complained about the look of wind farms on land and offshore, however others have claimed to like the look of wind farms. This appears to be nothing more than a personal preference. Noise - There have been complaints about the loud noise from turbines, however the average turbine puts out roughly 50db of noise in a whooshing sound. This noise level is the equivalent to normal house noise. Shadow Flicker - It is possible that homes near wind farms could have the shadow of the rotating blades on their house for a few hours each day. Bird Deaths - The National Academy of Sciences estimated in 2006 that wind energy was responsible for only 3 out of every 100,000 bird deaths caused by human and animal activities. Maintenance Costs - High maintenance costs Wind Speeds - Most turbines have a minimum speed requirement to produce electricity, generally around __ for large turbines. However, some newer turbines are designed to produce some electricity at low speeds (3-4meters/second). Turbines are also being built on taller towers and high elevations to take advantage of higher wind speeds. Similarly, turbines must be shut down at high wind speeds (___) to prevent breakdown or complete distruction (see video here) Broken Blades - Glass fiber composite blades have been breaking as blade lengths have increased. Carbon fiber composite blades are being used more often in these new, large turbines. Weak Supply Chain - The supply chain for turbine components has been insufficient to meet demand in recent years, thus creating a shortfall in supply and rising prices of turbines. Radar Interference - In 2006, there was a scare that the increasing heights of wind turbines were interfering with radar. Most experts now believe that this can be avoided through location planning and technological upgrades. Wind Doesn't Always Blow - The wind doesn't always blow, which results in no energy generation. Compounding this is that wind speeds are generally best for energy generation during the night, when energy consumption is at its lowest demand and price. Denmark, who has 20% of its energy derived from wind, has had difficulty increasing wind capacity because of the reduced production during the day. A key source for improving the ROI and effectiveness of wind turbines is a move towards plug-in electric vehicles, which would likely recharge at night. |
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