Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power for Electricity

568 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Alternative energy vs fossil fuel

Establishing wind power as a major source of electricity can be costly and can have many disadvantages; however, there are many important advantages that can come from wind power as well.
Buying and installing a wind turbine is expensive. The cost to install a small “household-single turbine” can be up to thirteen thousand, five hundred dollars! One popular home wind turbine is the Skystream. With this turbine, home owners would need to make thirty-five cents to forty cents per kilowatt-hour in order to make the amount of money it cost to purchase this turbine within the first ten years of owning the turbine that is estimated to last for roughly twenty years. The smaller the turbine, the more it will cost. Small turbines can cost between five thousand to fifteen thousand dollars whereas a larger turbine will cost between one thousand, five hundred dollars to about two thousand dollars, and a commercial turbine will only cost about five hundred to seven hundred dollars. This is because small turbines are more likely to break and do not generate as much electricity as larger turbines (Gipe 125-128). Even though smaller turbines cost more, larger turbines cost more to install. A two megawatt turbine that is thirty stories high can cost about 3.5 million dollars to install (Alina-Florentine 66). Buying and installing a turbine are not the only costs that potential buyers must prepare for; the cost for maintaining a turbine can be steep as well.
Wind turbines are like cars, it can be costly to maintain them. The total “reoccurring costs” every year, for items such as maintenance, insurance, and repairs can be around four percent of the cost to install the turbine. For the Skystream turbine, it has been estimated that the “annual r...

... middle of paper ...

...nce Series 20.2 (2011): 62-68. Business Source Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2013
Alters, Sandra. Energy: Supplies, Sustainability and Costs. Detroit, MI; Thomas Gale, 2007. Print.
Gipe, Paul. Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Home-and Community-scale Wind Energy Systems. 2nd ed. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2009. Print.
Motavallli, Jim. “Wind Power Should be Pursued.” Energy Alternatives. Ed. Barbara Passero. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt from “Catching the Wind.” E Magazine. 2005: 26-39. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Smith, Douglas J. "Wind Power Project Developers Face Many Challenges." Power Engineering 108.5 (2004): 46. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
Willey, Lawrence. "Challenges & Rewards For Engineers In Wind." Mechanical Engineering 134.8 (2012): 52-53. Business Source Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Wind Energy In Kansas

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    How often do you think of where you get your electricity? How our cars are able to work, and how our houses are heated in the wintertime to keep us warm? There are many different types of renewable energy, but how often do we use them? Wind energy is probably Kansans best bet of creating the energy we need to prosper. By looking at the pros of renewable energy sources, the pros of wind energy in Kansas, and the efficiency of vertical axis wind turbines to the horizontal axis, we’ll discover this together.

    Read More

  • Selling The Wind By Michelle Nijhuis Summary

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    With concern over global warming growing, people are starting to turn a more serious eye toward cleaner sources of energy. Instead of solar power making a comeback as the ideal form, we are seeing a growth in the use of wind power. Wind farms are beginning to crop up all around the country. This new trend has gathered significant attention. Questions are being raised concerning the effects wind farms may have, from critics and supporters alike. Michelle Nijhuis, in the article “Selling the Wind” discusses the arguments on behalf of and in opposition to the increasing use of wind power, addressing what the consequences may be on the United States.

    Read More

  • Wind Energy

    2498 Words  | 5 Pages

    United States International Trade Commission (2009, June). Wind Turbine Industry and Trade Report. Retrieved, August 12, 2011 from http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/ITS-2.pdf

    Read More

  • m

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    The site has a large number of wind turbines. The first wind farm to be built was the Coomagearlaghy/Kilgarvan wind farm. This site was commissioned in 2006 and is operated by SWS. This site contains 15 Vestas V90/3000 turbines each with a power of 3MW. The total nominal power of the site is 45MW. This section of the site is estimated to have an annual production of 112GW.h (for an equivalent of 2,500 hours of full load/year).

    Read More

  • Living Off The Grid

    1603 Words  | 4 Pages

    Palmieri, Nancy. “Off the Grid or on, Solar and Wind Power Gain.” USA Today 12 April 2006. Print.

    Read More

  • Wind Energy in Ontario

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jones,J. (2013). Alberta Losing No Sleep over Wind Power. Globe and Mail. Available online: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/breakthrough/albertans-losing-no-sleep-over-wind-power/article14743121/

    Read More

  • Biomimicry Essay

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    In everyday life, there are things that one needs to survive. And sustainability problems arise every day. One such problem is energy loss. The world is using up a lot of energy and new ideas need to be formed to help the rest of the world and the future of the generations that are to follow, to survive. With that the problem is that people use up energy and they do not use it efficiently. Therefore scientists are needed to find ways to deal with the sustainability problem that is arising. That is where wind turbines are used to generate this energy but the actual wind-turbines are very large, loud and they kill birds, thus new designs need to be found in order to help energy usage and to bring the size and structure of the wind turbines to a smaller scale to prevent injuries to nature and the species around it.

    Read More

  • Energy Efficient Housing

    3581 Words  | 8 Pages

    Wind turbines can be very useful in bringing energy into your home. They are especially useful when solar panels aren't working. They take the wind speed from oceans, lakes, dugouts, or rivers and turn it into energy. To use the wind turbines most efficiently you should set up a wind power system.

    Read More

  • The Energy Crisis: Traditional Energy vs. Renewable Energy

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the debate of traditional energy vs. renewable energy the clear winner is renewable energy. Renewable energy is vastly superior over traditional energy because it decreases dependence on foreign resources, produces no emissions, and is not limited in quantity. Opponents of renewable energy are likely to argue that this is not the case and that instead, traditional energy is better because it creates job growth, is reliable during all hours and climates, and comes with a lower cost. These advantages however are either misconstrued or hardly outweigh the long-term positive benefits of renewable energy.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Alternatives: Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Just as long as wind continues to blow and the sun shines, then wind power can produce energy to send to many different areas. There aren’t many locations that have continuous wind. And because of that, the widespread development of wind power isn’t as great as it could be. Although there are more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to this energy source, the disadvantages should be taken just as seriously. Wind power can harm animals, there was a study that stated birds were coming in contact with turbines and dying.

    Read More

  • Technology CAn Stop Global Warming

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    Diandong, R. (2010). Effects of Global Warming on Wind Energy Availability. Journal of Renewable & Sustainable Energy, 2(5), 052301.

    Read More

  • Wind Turbines

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Offshore wind turbines will provide more jobs, cut pollution, stop warming on our planet, and save us energy costs. These wind turbines can generate enough energy offshore to power about 500,000 homes. However, many people disagree with this idea because they believe it is too expensive. Offshore wind turbines have been a topic of discussion for a while now, and people just simply can’t agree. There are the supporters and there are the problem makers, as well as the advantages and disadvantages to this idea.

    Read More

  • Wind Energy Essay

    2268 Words  | 5 Pages

    The wind is an incredibly valuable renewable energy source and is in the forefront of renewable energy developments. It is used to convert wind energy into energy that can be harnessed and used via a variety of methods, including; wind turbines, windmills, sails and windpumps. For a renewable energy source, however, it is wind turbines that are used to generate electricity (see figure 1). Wind power has been used for this since the end of the nineteenth century, after Professor James Blyth of the Royal College of Science and Technology first attempted it (Boyle, 2012). However, It wasn’t until the 1980s that using wind power technology was sufficient enough to experience a rapid growth of the technology.

    Read More

  • Wind Power And Solar Energy

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wind is a form of solar energy. The term wind energy describes the process by which the wind is used to generate electricity or mechanical power. Wind turbines convert mechanical energy from the wind into electrical power. Wind turbines usually have three main parts. There are blades that connect to a central hub, a box behind the blades that contains the generator, and a long stem that connects to the ground. The way how it works is that the wind turns the blades, which spins a shaft that connects to a generator making electricity. After the electricity is produced it is sent through transmission lines to a substation that is sent to business and homes. For the sake of our planet, we must promote a renewable energy economy. Wind power can be a foundation of that sustainable energy future because it provides jobs in states that are building wind turbines, is a renewable energy source, and does not damage our environment. The environment will not be damaged by the pollution, the natural resources will not be used up, and there won’t be generating of hazardous wastes. Welcoming wind energy today will lay the foundation for a healthy tomorrow that will affect everyone in the United States. There are obstacles and challenges that will make it more difficult, but the environmental impact is well worth it to invest more money into wind energy.

    Read More

  • Renewable Energy is the Future

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deal, W. (n.d.). Wind power: An emerging energy resource.Technology & Engineering Teacher, 70(1), 9-15. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=a747d6c4-9f9f-4066-be3e-d7d26a427ef2@sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=114&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zc2Mmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU=

    Read More

More about Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power for Electricity

Open Document