Wind Energy
Wind energy can be used to perform useful work. The emphasis in these modern days is to generate electricity using a wind turbine. Approximately 2% of electricity generated worldwide comes from wind energy. In some countries wind generated electricity supplies a significant percentage of their electricity demand.
For centuries wind energy has propelled sailing ships around the world. It has been used to pump water and to grind grain. Now wind farms are now seen as an essential part of the UK energy plan. Wind farms are situated both offshore and on land. In a few years time with smart meters installed in homes, it will be much easier for people with their own generating capacity to feed electricity back into the grid (and be paid for it!).
In the context of global warming, wind energy is an important means of producing renewable electricity. Wind energy is of course derived from solar energy, the power of the sun heating our atmosphere and causing our global wind patterns. Wind power can be converted into energy to perform useful work, for example using a wind turbine to generate electricity.
Because wind power is a renewable resource, it is mostly a clean, green energy source which does not emit carbon dioxide or other gases which harm the atmosphere. Of course wind power is not 100% free of these gases! The process of manufacture and transport generates a certain amount of greenhouse gases, but these average out over the years of operation of the turbine.
Wind farms are now seen as an essential part of the UK energy plan and wind farms are sited both offshore and on land. The European Union energy plan for 2020 requires 20% of generated UK electricity to be supplied by renewable energy sources and it would appear that wind energy will meet the bulk of that requirement.
More and more businesses and private homes are now generating electricity from a wind turbine on their property. There is the opportunity to sell unused electricity back to the National grid, and generating some electricty yourself will reduce your energy bills. In practice the capital costs of generating your own electricity is high. It is only over time as the equipment is paid for that it actually saves money. I expect this to change over the ten years!
Wind farms now exist both offshore and on land. The offshore wind farms in particular will produce a significant amount of our electricity by 2020. In fact an area 20km x 30km offshore in an appropriate location could house sufficient wind turbines to generate all the electricity that the UK currently requires in a year!
Calculating the power of a wind turbine
For those of you who want to calculate the power in wind that is available to a wind turbine, just click this link
UK Offshore Wind
In April 2001 the first group of licences for up to 30 turbines on 18 sites around the UK coast was announced. This is referred to as Round 1 of the UK Offshore Wind Development.
The Round 2 licencing process for fifteen projects which would generate up to 7.2GW of new wind capacity, is underway now.
Click here for more on offshore wind farms
UK Onshore Wind
Onshore wind farms generate electricity for the National Grid.
Click here for more on onshore wind farms
 Vestas V90-3MW wind turbine nacelle image from Wikimedia Commons |
 modern wind energy plant image from Wikimedia Commons |
