Wind EnergyAlexis Nelsen, Kaitlin Schell, Hailey Bridges,

Alex Jacobsen, and Charmaine LumPeriod 5

How is Wind Energy Produced?

❖ Wind is produced by the uneven heating of earth by the sun❖ Wind turbines use wind to make electricity

➢ blades on the turbine are spun by the wind➢ Gears in the turbine are connected to the

blades and spin a shaft➢ The shaft is connected to a generator which

makes electricity❖ The turbines work the opposite of a fan. Fansuse electricity to create wind and turbines use wind to create electricity.

Energy from turbines in the U.S.

Waste Products❖ The manufacturing of wind turbines relies on the use of “rare minerals”: neodymium and dysprosium

➢ Damages the environment from mining and creates fumes that are harmful to people’s health

❖ Transporting, installing, maintaining, removing, and disposing wind generation equipment generates

Carbon Dioxide and other various chemicals by the burning of fossil fuels (B.F.F)

❖ Wind turbines are made from concrete, steel, and advanced plastics (Carbon fiber, fiberglass, etc.)

➢ Broken turbines will release toxic byproducts when incinerated

➢ Unwanted motor blade material waste will fill up landfills

❖ Pollution is still present at fossil fuel back-up plants that are ran to

subsidize the variables of wind energy

❖ However, when generating electricity, no pollution is emitted

Location & Usage❖ Texas is the top wind power state in the U.S

➢ Accounts for more than 30% wind energy production

➢ Other states that produce large amounts of wind energy include

California, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

➢ Wind turbine efficiency is greatest in the U.S, and also very high in

India, Germany, and France.

❖ Wind farms are often located in agricultural areas, where the land between

the turbines can still be used for farming

How is it Stored? ❖ During times of high wind, wind energy is usually stored using one of two

common methods❖ One way of storing wind energy is to store the energy in a battery

➢ Just like storing electricity in a battery from any other medium, the energy is deposited to be used whenever it is needed

➢ However, over time batteries lose their efficiency ❖ Another method is Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)

➢ Turbines compress air into containers and it can be stored underground

Advantages ❖ Clean Fuel Source

➢ No air/water pollution because it does not rely on the combustion of fossil fuels➢ Also reduces fossil fuel consumption

❖ Sustainable Energy Source➢ Form of solar energy: renewable

❖ Cost Effective ➢ One of the cheapest renewable energy sources; “four to six cents per kilowatt-hour”➢ Installation price is steadily declining➢ Homegrown energy source; don’t have to rely on foreign fossil fuels

❖ Land is Used Effectively ➢ Wind turbines can be built on farms/ranches ➢ only use a fraction of the land and provide landowners with additional income➢ Jobs created for locals (installation and maintenance of turbines)

Disadvantages ❖ Initial Investment is High❖ Location Isn’t Ideal

➢ The best sites are normally remote (usually coastal areas); far from cities that need the electricity ■ Transmission lines must be built

➢ Countries with no coastal areas or hills cannot make use of turbines

❖ Noise and Aesthetic Issues➢ Relatively noisy and disrupts the natural beauty

of the land

❖ Wind is Unpredictable

❖ Wildlife Impact➢ Some birds have been killed

by flying into the rotors

Interesting Facts➢ One turbine can produce electricity for 500 homes, and generates different outputs

depending on wind speed. ➢ Usually generates 30% of its theoretical maximum output (its “capacity factor”).➢ Provides 4% of U.S. electricity.➢ Denmark uses the highest percent: 40% for

electricity.

➢ Used by 38 U.S. states and 83 countries.

➢ Measured in kilowatt hours per year. ➢ There is enough on-shore wind in America

to power the country ten times over.

Works Cited❖ "Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy." Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy. US

Department of Energy, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. <http://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy>.

❖ "Advantages Of Wind Energy." ConserveEnergyFuture. Conserve-Energy-Future, 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. <http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Advantages_WindEnergy.php>.

❖ “Can You Make a Wind Turbine Without Fossil Fuels?” (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://theenergycollective.com/robertwilson190/344771/can-you-make-wind-turbine-without-fossil-fuels

❖ “How Efficient Are Wind Turbines?” (n.d.) Global Wind Day. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://www.globalwindday.org/faqs/how-efficient-are-wind-turbines/