By: Megan Suckow
Have you ever wondered how long we have left until the fossil fuels run
out? One way you can save the environment and the fuel sources is by using
wind power. I believe every person should try to use more wind power or
renewable resources. Also, if we keep using as much of the fossil fuels as we do
we will keep polluting our environment and run out of fossil fuels sooner then any
one could expect. This why we should use wind power to power our houses.
The windmill or as some people call it the wind turbine has been around
for many hundreds of years, actually 14,000 years. Windmills were used in
Persia (present-day Iran) as early as 200 B.C. However, the first known practical
windmills were built in Sistan a region between Afghanistan and Iran, in the 7th
century. In Denmark by the 1900, there were about 2,500 windmills for
mechanical loads such as pumps and mills, producing an estimated combined
peak power of about 30 megawatts (MW).
Here is one reason you should quit using gas and go to renewable
resources. The average American uses on average two point five eight (2.58)
gallons of gas per day. In America there are 311,597,917 people. That means
we are using an average of 800 million gallons of fuel per day. This is
25,932,987.93 barrels of gas (1 barrel = 31 gallons) per day. If all gas was the
price of Wisconsin’s average gas price - $3.84 – the amount spent on gas per
day would be $308,762,883.30
Now for reasons why you should go to renewable resources. How many
buildings can it power? The electricity production is measured in kilowatt hours
(KWh). A kilowatt hour means one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of electricity produce or
consumed for one hour. Here is an example to explain what I mean, one fifty
(50) watt light bulb left on for twenty (20) hours consumes one kilowatt hour (50
[watts] x 20 [hours] = 1,000 [watts] = 1 kilowatt hour). The output of a wind
turbine depends on the turbines size and the winds speed through the rotor.
Wind turbines that are being manufactured now have power ranging from two
hundred fivety watts (250) to five (5) megawatts (5 megawatts = 5,000,000 watts
or 5,000 kilowatts). Here is another example – a 10-kilowatt wind turbine can
generate about 10,000 kilowatt hour anually at a site with wind speeds averging
12 miles per hour, or about enough to power a typical household. A 5-megawatt
turbine can produce more than 15 million kilowatt hours in a year-enough to
power more than 1,400 households. The average U.S. household consumes
about 10,000 kilowatt hours of electrity each year.
Have you ever thought about how much a wind turbine cost? In 2007 the
commercial wind turbines ranged from one point two million dollars ($1.2 million)
to two point six million dollars ($2.6 million). If you got two point six million dollar
($2.6 million) wind turbine it would cost three point five million dollars ($3.5
million) after insatting it. If you wanted to get a smaller turbine per one thousand
watts (1,000 watts) or one kilowatt (1 kilowatt) it would cost any where from three
thousand dollars ($3,000) to five thousand dollars ($5,000). That means ten
kilowatts (10 kilowatts) – how much the average household needs – it would
roughly cost $30,000 to $50,000.
Using wind power saves the economy and the rest of our fuel sources. It
also saves money in the long run. The average electrical bill per month is ninetyfive dollars and sixty-sixty cents ($95.66), and the average amount for wind
turbine for an average house would be roughly any where from $35,000 to
$50,000. For all these equations I will be using the thirty-five thousand dollar
wind turbine price ($35,000). If you wanted to pay the wind mill of in twelve (12)
mouths also known as one year it would cost you roughly around two thousand
nine hundred sixteen dollars ($2,916). Also,
I figured out if you wanted to pay it of in twenty four (24) months it would cost you
roughly one thousand four hundred fifty-eight dollars ($1,458) per month. If your
electrical bill was ninety five dollars and sixty six cents ($95.66) and that is all you
wanted to pay per month it would take you thirty and a half years (30.5 years) to
pay it off. Here is another example about how long it would take to pay it off.
The eletrical bill cost 199.63 and they wanted a turbine that cost $40,000. If they
wanted to pay it off in twelve (12) months it would cost them roughly around three
thousand three hundred threety three dollars and threety three cents ($3,333.33).
If that family wanted to pay it off in twenty four (24) months it would cost them
one thousand six hundred sixty six cents ($1,666.67). To pay 199.63 a month it
would cost them 16 years and 7 months.
How big is a windmill? The windmills’ base (the tower part) comes either
eighty (80) feet to one hundred sixty (160) feet tall. That means the rotors’
diameter is twenty (20) to fourty (40) feet. Smaller turbines’ rotors diameter
would be eight (8) meters (8 meters = 26.2467192 feet) or less and it would be
mounted on a fourty (40) meters (40 meters = 131.233596 feet) or less.
What is a wind turbine made? The tower (base) is made out of turbular
steel. The blades and the nacelle (the generater house) are made out of
fiberglass rein forced polyester or wood epoxy.
How far from a building does a windmill have to be? This depends
completely on your local zoning laws. These could range anywhere from needing
a 100ft by 100ft parcel to more restrictive ordinances which may require that you
have a clear circle around your tower equal to 110% of the tower height. For the
Optiwind unit, this represents roughly 3.5 acres.
How Does a Wind Turbine Work? Wind turbines operate on a simple
principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a
rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create
electricity. Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. At
100 feet (30 meters) or more above ground, they can take advantage of faster
and less turbulent wind. Wind turbines can be used to produce electricity for a
single home or building, or they can be connected to an electricity grid (shown
here) for more widespread electricity distribution.
You have just read lots of great information about wind power. Wind
power is one out of the five renewable resources. You should invest into
renewable resources if you can, but if you cannot afford it please try to recycle or
try to save our planet a different way. The Earth is extraordinarily important to
our generations and the generations to come. Please try to save the Earth and
its environment by buying a wind turbine. Also, by buying a wind turbine it helps
the economy by making more jobs because of the people that want to go eco
friendly. Try to save the Earth if you can and if the reason of money comes in
play then you can try to drive less. What I mean by this is try to go to the store
as little as possible, like, once every week or every other week plan out what you
want and pick one day a week to go grocery shopping. I think every person
should try to use more wind power or renewable resources if you can.