Wind for the Win
The deadline for preventing the catastrophic impacts of a 1.5℃ rise in the earth’s temperature is fast approaching. We have so many known and new ways to produce clean energy. Now is the time to implement and perfect them. One of the oldest and best known methods of producing clean energy is wind power!
Like hydropower, wind power has been utilized in some form for millennia. Popular novel, Don Quixote, originally published in 1605 noted their use in its famous account of his battle with a windmill. Indeed, windmills are thought to have originated either with the Greeks around 250 BC or possibly in China in 200 BC. The windmill was and still is used agriculturally for things like grinding grain and moving large amounts of water from place to place. The use of the windmill eventually led to the development of the wind turbine which takes the utilization of the wind a step further by producing and storing energy. Instead of the mechanical rotation created by the propellers being used directly in a task like grinding grain, the rotation is leveraged by a series of gears and rotors to create electricity. This electricity can then be transferred to the grid, used on site, or stored in generators.
A typical wind turbine design is made up of 2 - 4 large blades suspended above ground by a tower. The tower allows the blade to “capture” the strongest wind currents, while a tail or vane attached to the shaft ensures that the blades are facing into the wind. A pitch control unit ensures that the wind turbine’s blades don’t get damaged by violent winds. Energy travels back to the grid from the blades through the generator using a set of inverters or a power interface. The efficiency of this system controls how much power reaches the grid and the improvement of this system could be the difference in producing enough power for a small town or a large city from the same wind farm. Efficiency is everything.
Wind power produces zero emissions. Countries like Denmark, that have been leaning into wind power for several years, are able to produce even more energy than they use. This is an excellent option as we work to replace and eliminate fossil fuel based energy sources. Even if your county or city isn’t universally utilizing wind power, you may be able to use wind power in your own home. If it is suitable for your location, residential wind power is actually one of the most affordable options for alternative residential power. In some locations, you could also cut your home energy bill by 80%. If you combine residential wind power with another form of clean energy, such as solar panels, you may even produce surplus energy which can often be sold back to the grid. This is more than being self sufficient but supports the entire community. Imagine the impact a block or two of such homes would have on a town’s energy resources. We have emission free innovations, now is the time to use them.