The Pros And Cons Of Wind Power

Explains and explores the use of wind power.

Wind energy is a growing renewable energy resource. Learn about how this energy technology developed, the risks and rewards of wind power, and whether or not windmills will solve the energy challenges of the future.

Farms of massive wind turbines, often framed by majestic mountains or with their bases lapped by ocean waves, have become one of the most recognizable images of alternative energy. This book covers the history of wind power, today's advanced turbines and wind farms, and the advantages and disadvantages of this fast-growing energy technology. It even presents a substantive but easy-to-understand explanation of how and where winds form. It's a great resource for the study of science and technology, as well as those curious about the possible solutions to the problems arising from the global consumption of fossil fuels.

The generation of electricity by wind energy has the potential to reduce environmental impacts caused by the use of fossil fuels. Although the use of wind energy to generate electricity is increasing rapidly in the United States, government guidance to help communities and developers evaluate and plan proposed wind-energy projects is lacking. Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects offers an analysis of the environmental benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, along with an evaluation guide to aid decision-making about projects. It includes a case study of the mid-Atlantic highlands, a mountainous area that spans parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This book will inform policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels.

This book provides a detailed roadmap of technical, economic, and institutional actions by the wind industry, the wind research community, and others to optimize wind's potential contribution to a cleaner, more reliable, low-carbon, domestic energy generation portfolio, utilizing U.S. manu-facturing and a U.S. workforce. The roadmap is intended to be the beginning of an evolving, collaborative, and necessarily dynamic process. It thus suggests an approach of continual updates at least every two years, informed by its analysis activities. Roadmap actions are identified in nine topical areas, introduced below.

As the demand for energy increases, and fossil fuels continue to decrease, Wind Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment, Second Edition considers the viability of wind as an alternative renewable energy source. This book examines the wind industry from its start in the 1970s until now, and introduces all aspects of wind energy. The phenomenal growth of wind power for utilities is covered along with applications such as wind-diesel, village power, telecommunications, and street lighting.. It covers the characteristics of wind, such as shear, power potential, turbulence, wind resource, wind turbine types, and designs and performance. The text discusses the measurement and siting of individual wind turbines, and considers the development and economic impact of wind farms. What’s New in the Second Edition: Expands the section on distributed wind Adds new sections on global warming, community wind, and storage Illustrates the need for a shift to renewable energy through discussions on energy use and the order of magnitude estimates for the lifetime of fossil fuels Discusses the interconnection of wind turbines to utility grids, regulations on installation and operation, and environmental concerns This book provides material on statistics, installation, types, and energy data, as well as new information, applications, and updates on the wind industry. It serves as a resource for practicing professionals in the wind energy industry, and can be used by undergraduate and graduate students in energy engineering/environmental engineering/wind technology.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Offshore wind power is poised to deliver an essential contribution to a clean, robust, and diversified U.S. energy portfolio. Capturing and using this large and inexhaustible resource has the potential to mitigate climate change, improve the environment, increase energy security, and stimulate the U.S. economy. The U.S. is now deliberating an energy policy that will have a powerful impact on the nation¿s energy and economic health for decades to come. This report provides a broad understanding of today¿s wind industry and the offshore resource, as well as the associated technology challenges, economics, permitting procedures, and potential risks and benefits. Charts and tables.

An up-to-date and thorough treatment of the technologies, practical applications, and future of wind power, with the pros and cons and technical intricacies of various types of wind turbines and wind power prediction With the demand for energy outstripping availability from conventional sources such as fossil fuels, new sources of energy must be found. Wind power is the most mature of all of the renewable or alternative sources of energy being widely used today. With many old wind turbines becoming obsolete or in need of replacement, new methods and materials for building turbines are constantly being sought after, and troubleshooting, from an engineering perspective, is paramount to the operational efficiency of turbines currently in use. Wind Power: Turbine Design, Selection, and Optimization: Details the technical attributes of various types of wind turbines, including new collinear windmills, orthogonal windmills, non-vibration VAWT wind turbines, and others Covers all the updated protocols for wind power and its applications Offers a thorough explanation of the current and future state of wind power Is suitable not only as a reference for the engineer working with wind power but as a textbook for graduate students, postdoctoral students, and researchers Wind power is one of the fastest-growing, oldest, and "greenest" of the major sources of renewable energy that has been developed, with more efficient and cost-effective technologies and materials now constantly being sought for turbines and the equipment used with them. Here is a comprehensive and thorough review of the engineering pros and cons of using different kinds of wind turbines in different environments, including offshore. With full technical knowledge, engineers, managers, and other decision-makers in the wind energy industry can make more informed decisions about increasing capacity, cost-efficiency, and equipment longevity. Covering the various types of wind turbines available, such as new collinear windmills, orthogonal turbines, and others, this highly technical treatment of wind turbines offers engineers, students, and researchers insight into the practical applications of these turbines and their potential for maximum efficiency.