Some energy sources are better and less harmful to the environment. There are various ways to harness energy — wind, gas, solar, geothermal, biomass, coal, and tidal are the most common sources. These are what you can consider clean, green, efficient, and renewable.
Renewable sources occur somewhat regularly and naturally. In contrast, non-renewable rely on finite amounts and resources, with some taking longer than others to replenish.
This article will dive deep into one of the energy sources mentioned; wind energy. It asks and answers the question: is wind energy renewable?
What Is Renewable Energy?
Before proceeding to the mechanics of wind energy, it is essential to look into the description of renewable energy first. It is a common word that most tend to throw around when discussing energy sources. Often, it is synonymous with sustainability. What is it really about?
Renewable energy, also called clean energy, evolves from natural sources that continually replenish themselves. For instance, the sunlight and wind that keeps shining and blowing, even if their availability depends primarily on weather and time.
Wind, solar, hydropower, and geothermal are all renewable, as opposed to fossil fuel that takes much, much longer to create. On the other hand, sustainable energy sources require continuous maintenance for the foreseeable future. It must continue to meet society’s needs and, in the process, must not run out or become unusable.
Now that the world possesses cheaper and innovative techniques and ways to harness and retain energy sources, renewables have become a critical and vital power source. For example, renewables are about one-eighth of the US electricity generation.
The development of renewable energy sources is also happening on both large and small scales, from solar panels on home rooftops to enormous offshore wind farms. Even a few rural communities now rely entirely on renewable energy for lighting and cooking.
In contrast, non-renewable energy consists primarily of fossil fuels, like oil, gas, and coal. They are mostly found in particular sections of the world, making them more abundant and used in some countries than others.
Is Wind Energy Renewable?
Wind energy is generally considered a renewable energy source. Employing wind to generate electricity and produce power has more negligible impacts on nature and the environment than other energy sources.
Wind turbines, whether offshore or onshore, do not produce emissions that can contaminate the water or air. Moreover, wind turbines do not need water for cooling.
Wind energy and wind turbines diminish the electricity produced by fossil fuels, resulting in lower carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.
The thing that makes wind a renewable energy source is its limitless and infinite supply. The amount tends to depend on the weather and day.
Wind energy produced in wind farms and plants does not pollute the planet with nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, or sulfur dioxide, which several other forms of fuel do. The US Department of Energy, or DOE for short, predicts that wind energy may prevent about 12.3 gigatons of greenhouse gasses by the year 2050.
How Does Wind Energy Work?
One more efficient means of achieving clean energy is cultivating wind farms. These wind plants use wind turbines to produce electricity. Though, how does wind power work?
Wind turbines work on a simple-enough principle. Instead of using electricity to create wind, like an electric fan, wind turbines use the wind to generate and produce electricity. The wind turns the turbine blades around a rotor and spins a generator — and viola, energy generated.
The motion of the wind turbine blades rotating is kinetic energy. It is that power that the wind turbine transforms into electricity.
Wind power is a by-product of solar energy. Wind energy results from atmospheric changes; the changes in temperature and pressure lead the air to move about and around the earth’s surface. As long as the wind blows, there is a way to create more energy.
The wind speeds and flow patterns vary significantly across countries. They are modified mainly by water bodies, terrain differences, and vegetation.
The term ‘wind power’ or ‘wind energy’ describes the process by which the wind generates mechanical energy or electricity.
Is Wind Power Considered A Sustainable Energy Source?
Wind power is a sustainable energy source. It makes use of kinetic energy that exists naturally in the wind. It converts it to electrical energy that people can use to power everything and anything that operates on electricity.
Wind energy is sustainable since it is an energy source that does not create waste or cause smog, acid rain, carbon emissions, soot, or global warming. Alongside solar, wind energy is among the greenest, cleanest, and most sustainable energy sources you can use.
What Are The Uses of Wind Energy?
Many applications utilize wind turbines — from generating electricity for a single household to harnessing large wind farms and offshore wind resources.
Land-Based Wind
Land-based wind turbines can range in various sizes, from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts of electricity. Utility companies create wind farms to group wind turbines and generate vast amounts of electricity. They are also most frequently used by utilities.
Wind farms can contain a few or even hundreds of large wind turbines, affording enough power to operate tens of thousands of apartments.
Offshore Wind
Offshore wind turbines are used and utilized in several countries worldwide to harness powerful and steady winds found on the coastlines. The resource potential of winds on coastal waters is enough to produce 4,000 gigawatts of electricity, which is almost four times the generation capacity and power of the US electric power system.
Offshore wind power turbines are usually massive. Fortunately, they do not have the same transportation challenges as land-based wind turbine installation since ships can transport large components easily.
Distributed Wind
Several wind turbines used in distributed applications are small wind turbines. Single turbines, ones below 100 kilowatts, are typically for residential, small commercial, and agricultural applications.
What Are The Primary Differences Between Offshore and Onshore Wind Turbines?
Wind energy is accelerating and delivering growing percentages of electricity generation every year. Alongside the growing electrical demand for wind energy is the development of wind turbine energy.
Now, there is more than one type or kind of wind turbine. Wind farms today can be based offshore (freshwater or sea) and onshore (on land).
Traditionally, onshore wind turbines solely existed and dominated the wind energy market. That was until Denmark installed the first offshore wind turbine on one of its coasts in 1991.
Onshore wind turbines refer to wind turbines that are located on land and utilize the wind to generate electricity. Meanwhile, offshore wind turbines generate electricity from wind over open waters, like the ocean.
Characteristics of Onshore Wind Turbines
- Developed in low conservation or habitat value areas.
- Onshore wind speed is more challenging to predict than offshore wind speed.
- An onshore wind turbine is quick to install and less expensive than offshore wind turbines.
- Maintenance costs are noticeably lower than offshore wind farms.
Characteristics of Offshore Wind Turbines
- Developed in bodies of water with higher wind speeds available.
- Offshore wind turbines are much larger and taller.
- Offshore wind power, speed, and direction are steadier, making it a more reliable and efficient energy source.
- Offshore turbines can also benefit marine ecosystems.
What Are The Main Benefits of Using Wind Energy?
Wind energy offers several advantages, which explains why it is known as one of the fastest-growing energy sources on the planet. Researchers aim to address the challenges to the greater use of wind energy.
Here are the main advantages of wind energy you should know about:
- Wind Energy Is Cost-effective
- Wind Energy Can Be A Domestic Source of Energy
- Wind Energy Is Sustainable
Wind Energy Is Cost-effective
Utility-scale wind turbines are probably one of the lowest-priced energy sources in the world, costing only 1-2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Since the electricity gained from wind farms and wind plants is sold at a fixed price and its fuel is primarily free, wind energy mitigates the price uncertainty that fuel costs add to standard and traditional energy sources.
Wind Energy Can Be A Domestic Source of Energy
The wind is the largest source of renewable power in the US. The nation’s wind supply is inexhaustible and abundant. Over the past decade, US wind power capacity has grown about 15% every year.
Wind Energy Is Sustainable
One of the main advantages of wind energy is its sustainability. For as long as the wind blows and the sun shines, the energy produced and electricity generated can be harnessed to send power and electricity across the grid. Simply put, the wind has always been and will always be available.
It is up to humans to determine how much priority will be placed on wind power projects to push the agenda for wind power generation.
How Does Wind Energy Impact The Environment?
Wind power is a renewable energy source — Meaning we can continuously harvest wind energy. Additionally, wind power generation does not release greenhouse gases or other harmful pollutants into the air.
Unfortunately, this does not mean nor imply that wind energy has no environmental impact. A wind turbine still requires production, connections, and deployments.
Engineers use concrete, steel, carbon-fiber resins, glass-fiber, and other components that are detrimental to the environment. Alongside that are shipping, maintenance, and installation costs.
However, these expenses are only a fraction of the costs associated with coal-fired conventional power plants. It is also safer and less dangerous than nuclear power plants.
Modern turbines are also large machines and could potentially visually affect the landscape. Some small and large wind turbines catch fire, and some have leaked lubricating fluids. There is also a small proportion of people who reported adverse health effects. Though, these instances are rare.
Some wind turbines make noise people do not like, disrupting the peace. Some wind projects lead bats and birds to an early death. These deaths can contribute to the decline in the population of species.
The US government and the wind energy industry are researching ways to reduce the negative effect of wind turbines. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory created an approach to manufacture wind turbine blades, employing a thermoplastic resin system.
These resins allow a process that permits wind turbine blades to be recycled and reduces the energy required to create said blades.
Can You Use a Renewable Source of Energy At Home?
Most residential homes do not have enough land to own their wind turbine, but many farms are spacious enough to room a few. A wind farm’s turbines are connected, ensuring the wind farm transmits generated energy to the power grid.
Electrical energy utilities or power operators will transmit that electricity to where people need it as soon as the power grid receives the power. Smaller transmission lines, also known as distribution lines, will collect the wind farm’s electricity and convey it into much bigger transmission lines.
They can then transport the electricity across large distances to where it needs to go. Smaller transmission lines bring power to your home, town, and company.
Smaller wind turbines are available for average homeland size. Though, several communities have zoning regulations that remove that option from homeowners.
People installing a wind turbine can lower their electricity costs from 50% to 90%. Though, a wind turbine does have an expensive upfront cost. Installing a wind turbine in your residential home or property requires significant time and financial commitment.
Fortunately, there are means to connect your home to wind power and renewable energy.
Conclusion
Wind energy is a common and powerful renewable energy source with one of the lowest environmental impacts in the electricity generation industry. While hydropower is the largest and most prominent renewable energy source in the US today, wind energy is not that far behind.
It uses kinetic energy to convert wind into electricity. With wind turbine technology, you can harness the infinite and natural power of the wind to generate electricity for your home and businesses without worrying that it will run out. It is undoubtedly a cost-effective and sustainable option with long-term and environment-friendly benefits.
Rest easy because you won’t run out of clean, renewable wind energy as long as the wind blows.