Wind energy is enjoying a surge in growth across the world. It continues to bolster its role as a renewable, alternative and pollution-free producer of electricity. In the United States alone, wind turbines now generate enough juice to power the equivalent of 46 million homes.
Today, 74,833 whirling wind turbines are cranking out power in the U.S., according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database. Wind energy accounts for more than one million megawatts of daily production globally. Scandinavian nations lead the way in the percentage of wind energy produced per capita.
Sweden is No. 1 with 1.36 kilowatts per person. Denmark, one of the first countries to embrace wind power more than 100 years ago, is second with 1.18 kilowatts per capita. Finland is third with 1.02 kilowatts.
Industry observers tell us that the growth in wind energy’s market share will continue to expand significantly. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that harnessing the wind to make electricity will expand from 430 billion kilowatt hours in 2023 to 476 billion kilowatts by 2025. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Energy forecast that wind capacity will achieve 404.25 gigawatts by 2050.
KEY ADVANTAGES OF WIND
In addition to being a source of energy that can “never run out” because the wind will always blow. This form of energy production brings several other benefits to society. Some of them include:
• Job Creation. Wind energy accounts for 150,000 jobs in the U.S. alone. These are high-paying jobs with great benefits. Because the industry is growing, wind energy will continue to create more jobs in the coming years.
• Wind energy added $20 billion to the U.S. economy in the year 2022 alone, acccroding to the USGS. It did that by generating 10% of all American energy across 50 states. Every kilowatt of wind energy produced means less oil needs to be imported from a foreign supplier.
• Because wind turbines create energy without burning fuel, they add no pollution to the air. This helps the U.S. avoid releasing 336 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
• Wind energy is more cost-effective than dirty fossil fuels, especially coal and oil. It is simply cheaper to create power with wind than drilling for oil, mining for coal, or fracking for natural gas.
• Wind platforms benefit rural and agricultural communities because they represent an efficient way to generate low-cost energy in remote locations. Many farmers also benefit by receiving significant annual payments from wind energy producers in exchange for the use of their land.
PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES
Like any energy sector, wind energy also has difficult problems to solve. Some of these are:
• Low Wind Locations. Of course, some locations get a lot of wind and other areas have far less. That means that wind energy is not a viable renewable option for all locations. The wind is also intermittent and unpredictable in terms of how much or how hard it blows. Efficient power storage batteries and backup energy sources are crucial.
• Unsightly & Noisy. Although opinions vary, many people do not like the looks of wind turbines. They produce some noise that some people find irritating. These are considered negative aesthetic factors.
• Remote Logistics. The locations that can benefit most from wind energy tend also to be the hardest to access. That makes it expensive and difficult to transport the equipment and install the infrastructure components that comprise these type of energy systems.
• Danger to Birds. Much has been made by renewable-energy skeptics about the number of birds killed by wind turbines. Studies vary widely, but one estimate reported by the American Bird Conservancy estimates 1.7 million birds die each year as a result of impact with whirling wind turbine blades.
It must be noted, however, that the number of birds killed by wind systems is far less than other energy sources and technologies. For example, while less than two million birds are killed by wind turbines, an estimated 60 to 80 million birds are killed by automobiles. From 67 to 90 million birds are killed by agricultural pesticides each year.
According to an article in U.S. World and New Report, coal is the biggest killer of birds among all energy sources. Coal production and burning accounts for 7.9 million bird deaths per year, the article stated.
LARGEST USER OF WIND ENERGY
Currently, two out of the 50 states in the United States produce more than 50% of their energy from wind. Iowa leads the way with 53.2% and Kansas is second with 51.1%.
North Dakota is rated the worst state for generating solar electricity, but it comes in third highest for wind energy generation. North Dakota currently produces 41.7% of its energy from wind. That is remarkable for a state that is dominated by the fossil fuel industry. North Dakota is the third-largest oil producer in the U.S. behind Texas (No. 1) and New Mexico (No. 2).
NEW TECHNOLOGIES ON HORIZON
Speaking of birds, one solution to minimize or eliminate bird deaths is creating different kinds of turbines to harness the wind. One promising innovation is a new class of “motionless” wind energy systems.
Several models of motionless generators have been developed. They leverage the motion “vibration” instead of spinning blades. In one case, turbines are positioned on the edge of a building’s roof facing the predominant direction of the wind. When wind accelerates over the edge of a building, it blows across vertical airfoils that create a low-pressure zone. As wind accelerates over the edge of the building, it flows over vertical airfoils. This creates a low-pressure zone and causes air to move through the bottom of the device where an internal generator is put in motion.
Several types of motionless wind generators are either operating or in a testing phase. One example is a shrouded rooftop generator. Another is a vertical axis design. The latter are not motionless. However, they do not display blades that stretch outward, creating a menace for birds.
Whatever the case, wind generation is here to stay. The amount of energy wind produces increases each year and exciting new technologies are in the works. The future of wind energy will be a fascinating. It promises to be consistent player in the overall energy strategy of the global economy.