Advantages of Wind Energy

The biggest advantage of wind energy is that wind is a renewable energy source, so a wind turbine essentially has an operation cost of zero.

The operation cost of a wind turbine is zero because the wind is what powers the generator.  The majority of the cost of a wind turbine comes from strategically planning a location, transporting the materials, constructing the turbine, and maintenance costs.

Another advantage of wind energy is that wind turbines do not emit any pollutants into the air while being operated.  Yes, the transportation of wind turbines, and the construction of them will release some pollutants into the atmosphere, but they become negligible as the lifespan of the given wind turbine increases and provide sufficient amounts of clean energy as an alternative to using fossil fuels.

Another advantage of wind energy could simply be the prestige you feel of owning a clean source of energy and decreasing the carbon footprint of your household.  This prestige should not be underrated, it may eventually be what drives renewable energy sources into today’s competitive global market.

 

Positive Impact on the Environment:

  1. Wind turbine generators do not emit green house gases or any other pollutants during operation.
  2. Wind is also a renewable resource that is in constant supply as long as the wind blows, unlike the finite supply of fossil fuels.
  3. Wind turbines do not require very much land space to be constructed, so they do very little to occupy grazing or farmland in a rural setting.

 

On the Economy…

  1. Wind is a free resource and is available for exploitation in many locations.
  2. Wind turbines are easy to construct and can be ready to operate in a short amount of time.  The only cost of producing wind energy is the initial cost of transportation and construction plus the additional chance of maintenance cost.
  3. You really only need to pay the initial costs for continuous electrical output from a well placed and well designed wind turbine, because the operation costs are zero.  Even with the potential cost of maintenance, the operation cost of a wind turbine is near zero.
  4. With new technologies and scientific information, the cost of constructing a wind turbine has been steadily decreasing.
  5. There are also government rebate incentives that offer rebates for people and companies that use sufficient amounts of wind energy.
  6. Wind turbine engineering, development, construction, and maintenance are creating new jobs: The United States contains many locations that could potentially be very efficient locations for wind turbine generator construction.  States like Texas, Iowa, California, Oregon, and Washington are a few of the leaders when it comes to installed capacity of wind power turbines.
  7. Decreases our dependence on foreign oil.
The fact that the installed capacity of wind power output in The United States and elsewhere in the world has increased dramatically over the last decade should be enough evidence to convince anyone about the great advantages and efficiency of wind energy.