Wind Energy

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the industry of "wind farming", the how's and why's, and its role/importance/popularity in this day and age of soaring fuel prices. Facts are offered on how wind farming can reduce the pressure on energy companies to deliver our daily energy needs. The operation of the wind turbine is also discussed, as are the criteria for establishing a wind farm, plus the estimated cost of doing so. In addition, several wind farming sites in the United States and Europe are mentioned, including Cape Wind in Massachusetts, Maple Ridge, New York, and offshore Denmark. Controversy, too, surrounding the erection and operation of the turbines is also covered.

Outline:
Overview--What Is a Wind Farm?
The Anatomy of a Wind Turbine
Conditions of Creation
Case Study: Cape Wind
Controversy over Establishment
Measuring Up As an Industry

From the Paper:

"Wind turbines are gaining exposure rapidly in the United States and around the world. They produce electricity at zero cost to the earth's atmosphere. A wind farm, by definition, is a group of several wind turbines located within a relatively close distance which connect together and feed energy back to the power grid. When the wind blows, the omni-directional rotor assembly will spin, generating energy by converting the wind's kinetic energy into rotational mechanical energy. Each wind farm has a power substation where the electricity produced by each turbine is converted into higher voltage and connected (most commonly) to long-range, high-voltage power lines. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Wind Energy Association: http://www.awea.org (c) 1998-2008 AWEA. Last updated on April 20, 2008
• Cape Wind: http://www.capewind.org (c) 2007 Cape Wind Associates, LLC. Last updated October 25, 2007
• European Wind Energy Association: http://www.ewea.org (c) 2005-2007 EWEA. Last updated on April 21, 2008
• J.C. Winnie, global warming expert and blogger: http://www.jcwinnie.biz (c) 2008 J.C. Winnie. Last updated April 13, 2008.
• Technology Review by MIT: http://www.technologyreview.com "A Supergrid for Europe" (c) 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Last Updated April 20, 2008

More papers on Wind Energy:

• Essay # 66153 : "Wind Energy"
• Research Paper # 146634 : "Wind Energy - The Benefits of Wind Turbines"
• Essay # 30385 : "Wind Energy: A Renewable Resource."

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