Wind Energy Essay -- Power Renewable Resource Global Warming

Wind EnergyTake care, your worship those things everyplace there are not giants but windmills.-Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de CervantesI. summary Wind energy has many another(prenominal) pros and cons, and thus is subject to much examination as a vi able-bodied energy source. A fundamental susceptibility for wind power is the ability to support the vast industries and the enterprises of the 6.3 billion large number that inhabit this planet. In addition, wind power must be able to meet the needs of the Earths population in a renewable, reliable, and responsible manner. In the following paper, wind energy will be evaluated based on its energy/cost efficiency, possible environmental ramifications, its practicality and the non-homogeneous countries already implementing it, the logistics of installing and maintaining the turbines, and finally any possible improvements that loom in the future.II. Historical BackgroundSince the dawn of time, man has relied upon wind to run hi s creations, closely notably windmills and boats. In fact, the first wind-driven machines were implemented in Persia as archaean as 200 B.C. However, in the last decade, wind power has take to the forefront in the race to unearth alternate energy sources.the States and the world as a whole have relied upon non-renewable sources of energy for decades. In previous years, the search for renewable energy had been relegated to the backburner, lying dormant as the inunct market boomed. However, the use of fossil fuels has been embroiled in many environmental issues, not to mention political and economical ones. However, rising oil prices and the questionable security of Americas oil sources has led to a new clarion call for clean, efficient energy. Proponents of wind power reason that it is clean, resp... ...onic, tulip encircled windmills of Holland with new, ultra-modern designs. The thatched roofs and the wooden frames have been replaced with steel that is strong yet smooth ligh t. Indeed, if Don Quixote attempted to charge these windmills, he would be in for quite an a surprise.http//www.engineeringtoolbox.com/docs/documents/1214/wind- upper-diagram.pngCALCULATIONSThe basic equation P = 0.5Av3 details the maximum power produced by wind blowing through a certain cross sectioned area (A) where v=velocity, =density of air, and P=Power.P = 1/2 A v3P = power (W) = density of air (kg/m3)(At sea take aim and at 20 C, air has a density of approximately 1.2 kg/m3).A = cross sectional area (m2)v = wind velocity (m/s)NOTE Density of air is directly proportional to density and altitude. indeed as temperature and altitude decrease, air density decreases as well.