They
are larger and more efficient than the wind turbines of
the 1980s. They are much quieter, the blades move more slowly,
and each turbine produces 10 times more energy than before.
Wind turbines use no fuel and they do not produce air pollution
or greenhouse gases. Is there a reason why governments haven't
invested money, or given higher incentives to the production
of turbine fields? The only reason we can think of is money,
and how much of it the extremely wealthy oil nations have.
With some added ingenuity, these seem to be the perfect
addition to an environmentally friendly agenda.
Most turbines now produce about 600 kW but more powerful machines are becoming more common as the market expands and technology improves. They use high efficiency airfoil shaped blades that extract energy from the wind by generating aerodynamic lift |
| Wind power is the least expensive form of power generation and it should be more utilized than it is. Although the use of turbines is steadily increasing, we still rely too heavily on Nuclear, oil and coal power. But, can wind |
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turbines replace our other trusted forms of power generation? No, not by themselves they can't. But, in cooperation with other renewable resources it could reduce greenhouse gasses a great deal, never mind the fact that any government that goes totally green wouldn't have to rely on the oil producing nations for fuel anymore.
Okay, so I live in an apartment, where can I put some? That's a good question. Many apartment owners could supplement some of their costs by installing smaller turbines on the roof of the building and lay solar panels on the roof underneath them. That would double their savings and conservation efforts. Farmers already have farms that have livestock and turbines to utilize all their land more efficiently.
Both energy efficiency and wind power are important to a future sustainable energy policy. They have the potential to help greatly in solving serious local, national and international environmental problems. Hopefully one day we will see as many turbines as we do satellite dishes. |
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