Wind Power vs. Hydro Power
Sean Cox
Saint Stephen School
Grade 8
Ms.Mitchell
April 3, 2014
Review of Literature:
The topic of this literature review is wind power and hydropower. The purpose is discovering how wind power and hydropower influences the world and our lives.“Environmental science is the study of the interaction of the living and nonliving components of the environment with special emphasis on the impact of humans on these components. (Hartwick, What is Environmental Science?)
This research topic involves the study of environmental science. The following characteristics of wind power and hydropower will be discussed: background information that includes definitions and previous research, how wind power and hydropower has been investigated in the past, obstacles, or opposition related to wind power and hydropower, and future work or next steps. Calvin Souther Fuller worked with other scientists, he created the solar cell which, finally, produced solar power, which lead to solar panels.
Previous research shows that health concerns have been discovered related to wind turbines or wind power. Also environmental concerns have been reported about hydropower because it affects aquatic animals and their homes. Science Daily states that “Researchers proposed a study to optimize power generation efficiency and better control of wind farms.” Scientist are trying to create better ways to generated wind power because there is a lot of challenges when it comes to using wind power, such as the wind directions, weather, or even the atmosphere. They found that by changing the directions of the blades of the wind turbine, the power being generated would be affected by increasing the amount of...
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Materials...............................................................................................................................7
Procedure..............................................................................................................................7-8
Data and Results...................................................................................................................8-9
IlI. Conclusion Section
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................10
Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................11
Bibliography.......................................................................................................................12-13
The article “Hydropower as a Renewable Energy Source” (n.d.) shows that man-made dams make up seventy-five percent of the United States’ total renewable energy.
These include the history of windmills and their role concerning the survival in the immense plains that range from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. The rise of the economic condition of those living around the wind farms along with the surge of investments from energy companies. Finally, the promising data relating to the amount of energy produced, and the consequences they will have on the environment. In the later and longer part of the article, the possible negative results or wind farms are brought up. Primarily, the points against wind farms have to do with the conservation of wildlife. This is separated into two sections, the first addresses the dangers wind turbines present to birds, the other on the dangers presented to bats.
Wind energy can play a critical role in saving our planet from the negative effects of energy powered by fossil fuels. Wind turbines work effectively at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. For instance, a single utility scale wind turbine can prevent the emission of 5,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year by displacing the power generated by fossil fuels. Also, a single 750-kilowatt turbine can produce roughly 2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Turbines of this nature are the ones now being used in power plants around the world (Wind Energy Weekly). One good example is California. Their wind power plants displace 4.5 billion pounds of CO2 each year with the 3 billion kilowatt hours of energy they produce. To put it into an environmental perspective, that is as much CO2 as could be absorbed by a forest covering 1100 square miles (Wind Energy Weekly). Although wind energy has little to no impact on the environment when it comes to air pollution or greenhouse gases, there are other environmental concerns surrounding this form of energy production. Some of the concerns about wind energy include visual impacts, birds and other living resources, lightning and noise (Wind Energy Development).
Wind Energy is a viable industry that has become a valuable energy source. The energy generated from wind is clean and efficient. The wind energy industry helps to ensure that electric demands are met, wildlife impact is minimal, the environment is not devastated, as well as creates new jobs during the construction of wind farms, daily operations, manufacturing components, and exporting components to foreign countries.
One of the main types of renewable energy that we have used the most is the wind energy. Wind energy is the energy produced from the power of the wind. Throughout the 20th century, wind energy was used by sailboats as a fuel to move the boat in different directions. In the past, this was the most frequent way for shipment of goods. Sailboats were also used as a method of transportation. Also, wind energy is used to power wind turbines and convert the wind energy into electricity. Without the wind energy, the production of electricity and the shipment of goods would have been very difficult and perhaps life on earth might have perished. Thus, the efficient ways of using the renewable energy such as wind energy has played an enormous role to our existence and it has made engineers more successful at harnessing
The technological advancement of wind mills to wind turbines has been largely contributed from science. This new technology has cause an uproar between two fractions. One fraction side goes against wind turbines as it has resulted in an increased of birds and bath mortality and has negative impacts to the human health (The Wind Resistance of Ontario, Unknown). The other fraction supports the use of wind turbines as it is a clean and renewable source of energy and it can reduce carbon emissions (Windfact, 2013). The use of scientific research da...
The first type of renewable energy is hydroelectric energy or well known as hydropower. In greek word, hydro means water and thus hydroelectric energy refers to electricity generated using flowing water at high velocity. Lutgens and Tarbuck (1992, p. 163) stated that “running water is of great importance to people as we depend upon rivers for energy, travel and irrigation”. Continuous availability of water in universe made water to be the main source of hydroelectric energy. Water has been widely utilized by mankind since the beginning of civilization and wate...
Wind power is another form of solar power. Wind isn’t only a clean fuel source, but it is one of the most inexpensive e alternative sources of energy. Just as long 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. For many people the noise from the turbines is unbearable, and that’s something else that should be taken into
The “Hydropower” National Geographic. n. d. a. d. a. d 1 April 2014. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/hydropower- profile /.> “Hydropower as a Renewable Energy Source” naturalresources.house.gov. Web.
Hydropower, the use of water to power machinery or produce electricity, provides the most renewable energy in the United States, and uses alternating current in most modern plants ("Hydropower…”). Hydropower relies on the water cycle and is a clean fuel source; it doesn’t pollute the environment like plants that burn fossil fuels. It is by far the most efficient way to generate electricity, being half the cost of using nuclear power, two-fifths the cost of using fossil fuels, and a quarter the cost of using natural gas ("Wind and Water…”). Also, hydropower is not subject to market fluctuations of embargos, and the average lifespan of a facility is 100 years. Hydropower also has many non-energy benefits such as water supply, flood control, navigation, irrigation, and recreation. However, it does face many environmental challenges such as impacts to aquatic habitats, aesthetic alterations of landscapes, changes to water quality, and interruptions of marine life ("Hydropower…”).
Each one of us has their own opinion about what wind turbines do and not what they are actually meant for. Wind turbines are meant to be an energy saving method that can be used ...
Secondly, 15% of world electricity comes from wind. In order to have wind energy, it is important to have turbines to get the wind in order to produce electricity. Tall turbines produce more energy. The drawbacks of wind power are that it requires steady wind and its installations may interfere with TVs, cellphones, and other electrical devices. However, it is quickly built and there is no pollution or noise produced.
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.
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=
Environmental science refers to the study of the effects that occur through natural and unnatural processes. The study involves the interactions of the Earth’s physical components that take place on the environment. Notably, the natural environment consists of all existing and non-existing things that exist on the planet. Full ecological systems that operate as natural practices without requiring the intervention of human beings are also included in the environment. Furthermore, physical units such as animals, vegetation, rocks, microorganisms, natural phenomena, and atmosphere usually occur within the boundaries of the environment (Altman and Wohlwill 113). Although the environment embraces natural resources and physical phenomena that need clear limits, it is worth noting that renewable and non-renewable energy resource is an environmental science topic that should receive top priority next year due to various reasons.