Harnessing the Winds Wind-generated power, sometimes called Aeolian power, offers many advantages for an energyhungry society becoming increasingly aware of the negative environmental impact of conventional electricity-generating systems. In contrast to coal or oil-fired power stations in which the majority of California’s electricity is produced, wind power stations have a minimal impact on the environment. They produce neither carbon dioxide emissions which add to the Greenhouse Effect nor do they contribute to the phenomenon of acid rains which kills the lakes and forests where it falls. Unlike nuclear plants, wind stations cannot become another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. Wind power, like solar, hydro-electric and tidal power, is an infinitely renewable, nonpolluting source of energy and is becoming increasingly important in satisfying the state’s energy needs. The swishing blades on the wind towers of the state’s largest wind station near Los Remos already provide 10 percent of the city’s energy requirement. The major drawback of wind power, however, is the unpredictability of the wind itself. No wind-no power. Even when the wind stations are sited on the windiest hills there is no guarantee that the wind will blow 24 hours a day. Until ways can be found to store generated power that can be used when the winds die down, wind power will remain a supplementary source of the state’s energy. Present state-of-the-art wind towers still require a minimum windspeed of around 25 kilometres per hour to generate commercially viable electricity. It is expected that improvements in the technology will lower this speed and increase the efficiency of production. At present, however, high installation and running costs and low efficiency mean that wind power is not economically competitive with conventional fossil or nuclear stations. 1 Environmentalists are also concerned about the visual impact wind stations have on the landscape. In order to generate commercially viable quantities of electricity it is necessary to install a large number of wind towers. In the Los Remos scheme there are 150 steel wind towers, each around 30 metres high, covering a total area of 80 hectares. They are silent and safe but ugly, making the majestic Los Remos Range begin to look like Manhattan in miniature. Harnessing the wind does offer a clean, renewable source of energy, but until technology increases the efficiency and reliability of the system it will not be able to replace the conventional fossil fuel or nuclear-powered stations. The most likely forecasts suggest the development of systems which integrate the use of both wind, solar, hydroelectric and conventional energy sources in such a way as to maximize the advantages of each source. In the meantime, research must continue to improve the generating efficiency, storage capacity and reliability of environmentally friendly energy source such as wind power. (Adapted from IELTS strategies for study) Questions: Reading Comprehension 1. The other terminology for representing Aeolian power is ………………………… A. Hydro-electric power B. Nuclear power C. Tidal power D. Wind power 2. The disasters below can be the negative effects of non-renewable energy, except……… A. Greenhouse effect B. Forestation C. Acid Rain D. Chernobyl or three mile island case 2 3. Which wind station can accommodate around 10 % energy from the total energy which is required by the city? A. Three Mile Island B. Chernobyl C. Station sites close to Los Remos D. California 4. Which group of power is renewable, non polluting and environmentally friendly energy? A. Nuclear, wind power, tidal power B. Coal, nuclear, solar C. wind power, coal, tidal power D. wind power, solar, hydro power 5. How fast wind should travel to generate wind energy in the state-of-the-art wind towers? A. 24 hours a day B. 10 percent C. 25 kilometres per hour D. three miles 6. How many towers are there in Los Remos site? A. 80 towers B. 25 towers C. 150 towers D. 30 towers 7. Which areas further research on renewable source of energy should be focused on? A. efficiency, reliability and storage capacity B. validity, viability, integration 3 C. development, efficiency, improvement D. reliability, storage capacity, validity 8. How high each tower in the Los Remos area is? A. 150 metres B. 80 metres C. 30 metres D. 25 metres 9. What the majestic Los Remos look like after the construction of steel wind towers? A. Three Mile Island B. the miniature of Manhattan C. Chernobyl D. California 10. How large land which is used for the construction of wind towers in Los Remos? A. 80 hectares B. 150 hectares C. 30 hectares D. 25 hectares 4