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.
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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
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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
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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
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