Those wind towers in Fremont CA.In a new study of wind power in the world, the United States was leading the world in new wind power installations in 2007! It's about time. Wind power has been growing across the world for three years running now and 5,244 megawatts of new electrical capacity was added last year. (One thousand small houses with their lights on, or one grocery store open for one hour uses one megawatt-hour of energy.)
As usual California leads the way. Los Angeles broke ground on the largest city owned wind plant in the US. The new plant will be on the edge of the Mojave Desert about 100 miles north of LA. Eighty wind turbines will produce enough electricity to power 56,000 homes.
Thirty eight states now produce 1 % of electricity. It is expected that 2008 will match last year's growth.
17 comments:
When I was 5 years old my father built a windmill on our property up in Traverse City and it alone supplied all the power we needed for our home for about 10 years. The thing I remember most about it, is the few occasions when a lightning bolt would hit it at night. It's like waking up to someone firing a shotgun over your bed. Windmills are pretty easy to build. You can build a generator out of a used treadmill engine. There's lots of easy schematics online, if you know some basic welding.
I have to wonder if the windmill might be going away though because of the windbelt. I believe its pretty new technology so I don't know all the pros and cons yet but it looks more "invisible" than a windmill and they say it produces 10 times the power at a fraction of the cost... hard to beat that.
Here's a short video of one.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224763.html
Wind power increasing in the United States is a great thing for being able to save our natural resources and reduce in polluting the skies. I remember a trip out to Los Angeles and driving through the Mojave Desert and seeing all of the windmills and thought of how it was such an amazing thing that we could power so much electricity off of something that occurs naturally and is replenishable. If the United States continues to increase the use of windpower and remains number one among the world we can set a good example for other countries to help in continuing to support the preservation of our non-renewable natural resources.
The use of windmills and wind powered energy is a great thing for the world and the United States when it comes to saving natural resources. Wind is in unlimited supply, especially in certain regions of the country, and the windmills could be built without taking up that much natural land. I remember growing up in Northern Michigan and driving north towards Mackinaw and seeing the windmill that had been recently built. I remember hearing stories about people complaining that it was an eyesore. Looking at it now, I cant believe people would have that opinion if they knew the benefits of using this natural resource. And yes it is a new technology, but if these windmills have the power to produce that much more energy, the world could see lasting benefits.
It is good to hear that wind enery is up since we are using a lot of energy everyday. I think we should built more wind mills where we can get a lot of wind, and places where we use a lot of energy.
It would help to save money and environment by using unlimited and natural resourse.
Increasing wind power installations in the United States is a great thing. Wind power does not pollute the environment and is a renewable resource. Coal burning causes pollution, global warming, smog, and cardiovascular and respitory diseases as well as many other things.
One problem that I was reading about with wind power is that the wind isn't always blowing. To be able to get the most out of the turbines, one must research to see where the wind blows the fastest and make the most out of these areas. It also said that 24% of the United States in suitable for wind production.
Even though there are some problems with wind farms, I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. If we could produce energy without pollution it would make the environment better for everyone.
"Windpower 2008" (it's like the National Auto Show of Windmills) is being held this year (first week of June) in Houston Texas of all places. I thought that was really interesting. There are a lot of people in Texas making a lot of money on oil being $100 a barrel. For what is essentialy one of the oil capitals of the world to still recognise that energy comes in other diverse forms besides "liquid gold" is somewhat encouraging...
I believe that the increase of wind power use is great. I see no reason to not use one of the world natural renewable resources if it' s available. However, as some other students have stated, this is a world issue and the US should develope a cordinated effort to maximize the efficiency of this resource. It makes no sense to put this money into projects that will not show the maximized benefit of the energy. Instead of producing 500 megawatts in one area it might theoretically produce 1500 in an area with more wind. There are several things to consider such as jet streams and wind patterns that could effect the output of the windmills. But every project needs a first step. Now that everyone will see the projects in motion next the money and government incentives will follow. This will then lay the road for R&D investments that will find even cheaper and more efficient means to runs wind energy.
It is good to know that the U.S is looking at the Mohave desert as an asset in the race to become more green. Solar power also is big in the Mohave Desert, but it still needs to be increased.
Also, even though 38 states are involved in this pursuit to create more wind energy, that is not enough.
Windmills are a great resource for power. My neighbor put up a windmill several years ago and we all thought he was crazy because he spent so much money on it. Now, he is the one laughing because his windmill has more than paid itself off. He is saving so much money per month on his electricity bills. Also, in a few towns over from where I live, there have been talks off using one of the large, open fields for windmills. This is a great idea because it is located in a very windy area and not a lot people are around so the windmills would not really bother anyone. It is such a cleaner and more efficient alternative to natural gas and oil. And, it is very abundant so more money should be invested in it.
-Chelsey Kasper GEOG 320
The more wind power is experimented with and used, the more efficient
and cost effective it will become. Also the cumbersome wind mills may
also be able to shrink in size so they are not as much of an eyesore
as some people feel that they are. The paradigm of thinking needs to
continue to be shifted in the direction toward conservation and
sustainable living. This increase in the use of wind power and the
U.S. setting the example by becoming the world leader in its use is a
major step in the right direction.
I think that its a great thing that more wind powered electricity is becoming readily available in the United States. If the United States continues to increase it's uses and it's availablitiy we could drastically reduce the use of our non renewable resources, and not to mention help decrease emissions into the atmosphere. If we could conitune to promote the use of this in our country as well as turn other countries onto implementing the use wind powered electricity it would be beneficial to the entire world. Although I have never seen anything actually wind powered, I am curious as to how the energy can be stored or housed in case of the winds decreasing.
It is nice to see that the United States is the leading force in something productive. If wind energy is cheaper and it doesn't cost really anything to get energy to your house than the consumers have more money to put back into the economy to get it booming again.
I believe that this is progress, but we have a long ways to go. The United States as a whole needs to stop being so dependent on other countries through their resources. This can lead and has lead to downfalls for our county. When will we learn, along with other areas around the world. Renewable energy can only help us, so why don't we take that leap, or atleast a step, in that direction. Wind power is a great source to use, and a great investment, but we need to take it farther. The only way that the United States is going to be able to do so is if each individual state takes those steps necessary, and so far we are not doing so well at that.
It is nice to see the United States making progress in the right direction, but obviously we could do more. I believe that it was in lecture that professor Mayda stated that experts have said that there is approximately 38% of the U.S.'s electrical energy consumption available for harvesting in North Dakota, the problem being able to transport this energy to consumers effectively. With information like this, it makes me wonder why more people aren't focusing their time to finding solutions to these problems here in the U.S.
People, especially Americans, are innovative and when there's an opportunity to help society and become rich while doing it, we get it done! What's the problem with this one? I feel that it's foolish not to have windmills in unpopulated regions as long as they aren’t detrimental to the local environment or wildlife. We have built massive hydroelectric power dams, nuclear power plants, oil pipelines, and off-shore oil platform were people don't live to help out or energy "needs" and I feel that now it's time to try to put an end to the political red tape and get projects like these started. The real problem with most renewable energy development plans is getting everyone to understand the issues, coming together, and putting our political differences aside for a moment to complete projects like those that could happen in areas like North Dakota and not necessarily a lack of available technology.
Matt Smith (online)
Way to go, United States! Now keep it up! We have come a long way in the fight for the environment, but we still have a long way to go. Even though the United States is now the leading country in wind power installations, there is still tons of work to be done to continue along this path.
Our goals should be to get all states to participate and to help educate other coutnries about the effects of wind energy on the environment.
I have noticed the increasing amounts of windmills in my travels in northern Michigan as well as across the country. It is definitely a step in the right direction, but something that is going to need a bigger following and a larger support system in order to make a country wide difference. Using wind to create electricity is such a monumental concept. The problem is the initial costs that scare people away. It is hard to give someone the big picture and the benefits and to tell them that it will pay off. The problem with our country is that we want instant gratification or we are not interested. THis is a concept that is environment friendly, but takes time to see the financial benefits. I applaud the people that are making steps to get their energy from windmills, now we have to get everyone else on board that lives in an area that can put them to use. This is a task in and of itself.
(GEOG 320)It is really exciting to hear the increased intrest in windmills. I was listining to the radio today and they were takling about a principal which I believe lives near Saganaw who owns a windmill that produces 60% of her schools yearly electricty. I just think it is an encouring sign for the U.S. that one renewible resource is finaly recieving some intrest. Hey, it may not be much in terms of wide spread use but its better than nothing.
Post a Comment