By: Mitchell Knegendorf
There are numerous ways to have clean renewable resources for energy, but some
ways can be more of a drag than others. For example, solar panels have many
malfunctions like a wire short circuiting or the sun is not radiating enough heat, and
hydropower can cause dams to have major effects on the environment.
The best way to get lots of energy while still helping
the environment is by producing wind power! Wind is sustainable, renewable, and most
of all clean.
You might wonder how a machine like this works. How a wind turbine works is
when the blades on the rotor catch the wind current they make the gear box turn. Then,
the gear box produces electricity and sends it to the generator. Next, the generator sends
the electricity down the tower by a series of wires inside the tower’s shell. Finally, the
energy is sent to a transformer to transfer the power through electric wires.
Wind energy has been mainly used for
pumping water from the Earth. The history of wind power goes way back to the ancient
Egyptians. The Egyptians also used their wind energy for pumping water from the
ground. Windmills were the modern wind collecting machines during the older times.
The Babylonian emperor, Hammurabi, used wind energy for irrigation in the 17th century
BC. A few years ago, a small town in Africa had little food and water due to the hot and
dry climate. After looking at the condition, the Practical Action Organization placed a
small wind turbine to pump water from the ground. The town has enough water to have
irrigated farming and for civilians to drink.
The impact wind energy has can have amazing
outcomes. Families all over the world can save money from electric and water bills if
they can own one small wind turbine, with a capacity ranging from 50 W to 10 kW
and rotor diameter differing to about 0.5 m to 7 m, are primarily used in battery
charging. These batteries can provide energy for a household, farming
equipment, hospitals, navigation, and its power is equal to the energy of diesel
sets and solar panel systems. The Weerasinghe’s family lived on the line where
they earned money, but had just enough to pay for bills, taxes, and food. After
they had enough money, the Weerasinghe’s bought a small-scale wind turbine.
They don’t have to pay for electricity and can live without worrying about living
on the streets.
The decisions we make in the present will affect the future of tomorrow.
Countless numbers of people don’t understand that wind power is a source of
energy that is unlimited. There is the thought that some areas don’t have enough
wind, but if you use your mind, you can see that the coastal winds from the sea
could supply the world for years to come. All around the world there are coastal
winds and if we set wind turbines around those areas, we could reduce fossil fuel
usage for many years. The Netherlands have already used this technique long
ago. They have windmills that collect coastal winds making almost 80% of their
electricity and water irrigation. Some people think of the problems, but as for
me, I think of solutions.
The world today has a lot of issues and one of them is the environment. To
solve this problem, we should place more wind turbines throughout the coastal
regions. Wind power is also clean so there is no way your hurting the
environment by just collecting wind! Wind power can save yourself, your family,
and most importantly the environment.
PIC 1.-http:/www.guardian.co.urk
PIC 2.http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wind/wind_how.html
PIC 3http://practicalaction.org
PIC 4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power
PIC 5http://www.sunnking.com/blog/