What Are The Pros And Cons Of Wind Power

In this paper, I will write about the history and present use of wind power and the pros and cons of using wind power as an energy source in Vermont. Wind power was important in other parts of the world and the United States before it became a factor in Vermont: "For centuries, the power of the wind has been harnessed for the benefit of humanity and commerce. In the United States, mechanical wind systems pumped water and helped open the Great Plains to human settlement and agricultural production during the 1800s." https://www.planning.org/research/wind/pdf/pas566.pdf (Introduction). In the early 20th century, “wind chargers” brought lights and communication technology to rural American households and businesses. Wind energy provided electricity

Planning and building the project took eight years. http://www.masslive.com/talk/index.ssf/2011/10/vermont_officials_celebrate_ne.html Even without subsidies, there are many advantages to using wind power. Wind energy does not put pollution into the air, unlike power plants that rely on fossil fuels, such as natural gas or coal. http://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy America 's supply of wind is abundant for energy usage, and the wind power capacity has increased by a large percentage. http://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy Wind power can be used on a ranch or a farm, thereby helping the rural economy. And the rural areas have most of the best wind sites. Also, the owners of Wind power plants, can pay rent to the farmer or rancher for the use of their land. This could provide landowners with a lot of additional income, so it is a good investment. http://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy Wind power is sustainable, since the wind will always blow and so is

A blade was dislodged by a strong wind and destroyed one of the the Searsburg project turbines. http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081015/NEWS04/810150400. As the Herald article points out, however, this mishap did not disable the project as a whole, which continued to supply a high level of power even after the accident. One of the “cons” of wind power is that it compromises Vermont’s natural look—its famous scenery, especially along ridge lines. http://www.macalester.edu/windenergy/. But many people think that towers can be considered part of Vermont’s new scenery–a look that says that we care about the Planet. And there are good planning and mitigation strategies that can minimize the scenic impact. http://www.scenic.org/issues/scenic-easements-a-view-protection/wind-energy Another “con” is that birds and bats could fly into the wind turbines. This could be a real problem, and the technology should be improved to minimize this