MAIN Society Go Green Guides Wind Power

Wind power is a relatively underused alternative energy source, currently making up roughly one percent of the world's electricity supply.

Use of wind power - or power generated by large wind turbines - is on the rise, however, as governments and communities worldwide begin to recognize its future potential.

Experts say that placing wind turbines on roughly 13 percent of the available land on Earth would generate five times the present annual power consumption of the entire planet.

Obviously this is not entirely feasible, but it demonstrates that the paltry one percent of the world's power that wind turbines currently generate is nothing compared to what they could generate if the technology was more thoroughly adopted.

Wind power pros and cons

Green advocates contend that wind turbines are an ideal form of power generation because of their tiny footprint. Wind turbines are very popular with farmers because they can place them on land and sell the power they generate, while still planting and harvesting crops.

Another major advantage of wind turbines is that they are almost completely passive to the environment around them, meaning they don't interfere with the surrounding ecosystem like many other alternative energy technologies can.

In fact, besides posing a slight hazard to birds and bats the only read disadvantage of wind turbines is that many people do not find them aesthetically appealing. Many communities complain when wind farms interfere with their views, often making ideal spots for wind farms unusable. Noise pollution from the constant hum of whirring turbine propellers is yet another obstacle that this new technology may have to overcome (planning more offshore wind farms, for example) to gain wider acceptance.

Despite these complaints, many countries, such as Denmark, Spain, and Portugal generate significant amounts of their electricity from wind turbines. In the years to come, the future looks bright for wind energy as other countries realize the potential of this technology to supply their own population's energy needs.

More information about wind power around the Web:

American Wind Energy Association - Information on wind power technology, expert tips & advice including installation of home wind turbines, kids education resources, FAQ.

Wind power - Extensive overview from Wikipedia including the history and development of the modern wind turbine and a discussion on the future of offshore wind farms, related photos, references and resources.

How does a wind turbine work? - Interesting overview explaining how wind power generates electricity with related illustrations and glossary of terms.

Wind with Miller - Fun, interactive online student course explaining wind power and turbines. with ideas for classroom activities and a teacher's guide.

also see -> Hydroelectric Power | Nuclear Power | Solar Power