Wind Power

Wind power or wind energy is electrical energy that is acquired by exploiting wind through wind turbines. Similarly, wind power can be harnessed using windmills to extract mechanical power, and wind pumps for water pumping.

So why do we need wind power? It is a renewable source of energy, which never gets depleted, and does not cause pollution in any form.

A wind farm comprises a network of wind turbines, whose number depends on the energy that is required to be generated. The wind causes the blades of the turbine to turn, which rotate a shaft linked to a generator that produces electricity.

Offshore wind farms have the benefit of more powerful winds hitting them than the ones in the hinterland. But their construction costs are considerably costlier.

The major point to be taken into consideration while setting up a wind power plant is the location. They should be set up where wind is blowing fast and its levels are high. Besides coastal areas, they can be located at places with high altitudes, mountains and hills, and in open areas where wind blows without any obstructions.

Meanwhile, turbines are getting cheaper by the day as they are being produced on a mass scale, and also owing to advances in technology. Governments, in addition, also provide tax incentives for people willing to invest in wind power technology. Also, once the turbines are erected, there are no maintenance costs.

Did you know that in the year 2012, wind turbines produced around 3% of total electricity generated in the United States!

Also the volume of electricity generated in 2012 was approximately 140 billion kilowatthours (kWh), up from 6 billion kWh in 2000, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The United States is the largest producer of wind power. It is followed by China, Germany, Spain, and India, These five countries together accounted for 72% of the total wind power generated in the world for the year 2012.

The major gripe people harbor about wind turbines is the noise that they make. The other problem is that the wind is variable. So if there's no wind, turbines are not activated. This seems a valid point, but this is only an occasional occurrence in most parts of the world.

Here are some major upsides of using wind power.

1. Human reliance on fossil fuels is reduced, therefore reducing the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions, which, in turn, reduce the effects of global warming.

2. There is neither air nor water pollution.

3.The cost of producing energy is reduced.

4. It creates many jobs for local people in coastal and hilly areas.

Pitfalls of using wind energy are as follows.

1.Wind turbines create a lot of noise, disturbing people who live close to them.

2.Animals and birds are intimidated by wind turbines, causing them to migrate.

3.Many landlocked places, which do not have coastal areas and hilly terrains, are not apt locations for setting up wind farms.

Its drawbacks notwithstanding, wind power is said to be the fastest growing renewable energy source. We can surely hope to overcome all the disadvantages with advancement of technology and cooperation of all stakeholders.


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In this article, Cisco evangelist Ravi Namboori discusses about wind power, another source of renewable energy. What it offers in terms of benefits, and how it can be tapped are spelt out here.
http://ravinamboori.in