Like solar, wind power has its problems as well. So let's
discuss.
Space issues: Wind power, like solar, is free
energy. However, to get a large enough amount of electricity from wind,
you need a wind farm that covers vast areas of land. As such, it eats up
large areas of land that can be protected for wildlife/forests, or used for
farming, or even used for development. As such, efforts to increase
efficiency, or place them out of the way are being made. One such
solution is leasing parts of farmland so that a farm can exist underneath the
turbines which makes the land usage more efficient. Another is to
integrate the turbines into the city by putting them on roofs, or have them
tethered to blimp like structures. Other ideas are being looked at, but
the one I see that is best is integrating the most efficient wind turbine into someone’s
house so that people can generate the electricity they need themselves without
the need for some utility company.
Catching the wind: The other issue is one that is well
known. What if the wind is not blowing? Well, truth is it is always
blowing usually, we just have to reposition the turbine into the direction and
altitude of the wind. So even if there is no wind at ground level, it may
be blowing well at two stories up, and could be even stronger at six stories in
the air. So the tethered approach is one way to solve this, or to have a
telescoping neck for the turbine to elevate itself as high as possible to catch
the strongest winds possible. There are also turbines being developed
that will spin even with the gentlest of breezes which will mitigate the need
to go a full six stories in the air just to catch wind. Thus it is also
an issue of efficiency with respect to the rotors on the turbine itself.
Conclusion: Like solar, wind power generation
is still coming along at a slow pace due to the imperfections of this
technology. But given enough time and investment, you too may be
attaching a turbine to your home.
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