Problems Of Wind Energy Article
In all respects, the United States has what it takes to be a world leader in the field of wind power. The country has advanced technology, abundant wind resources, and ideal locations for wind farms. Wind farms are modular, meaning that additional wind turbines may be added easily when necessary. Construction of wind farms also cost much less than putting up a similar power plant that relies on fossil fuels.
Today, wind farms all over the United States provide electricity for over half a million families. Most of the country\'s wind farms are located in California, where wind-produced energy offset billions of pounds of carbon dioxide and millions of pounds of other pollutants every year. While other states such as Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota are being seen as good locations to harness wind energy, the country continues to rely heavily on coal, an energy source dating back all the way to the 19th century, for much of its electricity. In contrast, European countries are steadily replacing their dependency on coal and other fossil fuels with wind power.
Europe shames the United States in other environmental aspects, as well. The continent is also the world leader in advocating renewable energy sources and climate stabilization. By the looks of things, Europe will be setting the standards for the new energy economy for the rest of the world to follow in the upcoming decades. That is, if the United States doesn\'t get its act straight and catches up.
The use of wind turbines would be a great help to the development of third world countries, as well as areas within the United States untouched by the national power grid. As oil prices continually go up all over the world, power companies in these areas are forced to raise their rates accordingly.
Besides the government\'s failings in supporting wind power as an alternate energy source, opponents of wind energy make absurd, exaggerated claims about the disadvantages of wind power. These are usually individuals and groups who depend heavily on the availability and efficiency of fossil fuels, despite the destruction they bring to the environment. They claim that wind turbines are noisy, or that the manufacture of wind turbines still generates pollution. They also claim that in order to replace all the coal and nuclear plants, the entire country has to be blanketed by windmills. Others say that turbines are just plain ugly-and that\'s a very narrow-minded excuse, taking into consideration the benefits of wind power.
These people should not be believed. It\'s true that a wind turbine running at full power can produce the noise of an automobile running at 70 miles per hour, but wind turbines can easily be located in parts of a site where its noise would cause the least amount of disturbance to the locale. The manufacture of wind turbines will undoubtedly generate some pollution, but it won\'t for the long run of its service. That, and wind turbines don\'t need large tracts of land to operate. Wind turbines only take up about 5% of the land area, making them an ideal partner for open space operations like farming and ranching.
With continued support from the government, more efficient (and maybe even better-looking) wind turbines could be developed, perhaps eventually making the use of wind power profitable in much smaller scales-such as downtown areas and individual households!
As mentioned before, the United States still relies on coal and other fossil fuels to generate most of its electricity. The use of these fossil fuels covers the country with pollution, as burning them generates many harmful byproducts such as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. If more States followed California\'s example, energy costs could be brought down, and we would be exposed to much smaller amounts of pollutants everyday. Those two benefits alone should cause many of us to breathe a little easier.
