Humanity is ever growing.
The population of the world increases every year. More and more people are using the same finite resources and it has a lot of people concerned enough to seek out a renewable energy source that will easily fit into their lives. One issue these people face is regional availability.
Fortunately, green power sources such as wind and solar are options anywhere. The natural, clean element of these power sources make them even more enticing. Wind energy can be slightly more attainable, depending on location but has its own set of disadvantages. Wind and solar energy are the two fastest growing renewable energy resources available.
What is Wind Energy?
Wind has a kinetic energy that can be harvested and used just as coal or oil energy to generate electricity and mechanical power. Humans have long used wind power to grind grain and pump water. At its essence, a windmill uses the force of the wind to turn a wind shaft which is used as mechanical power that can pump water or turn grist mill wheels. In today’s world, however, converting wind to energy means using the power of the wind to make electricity. The mechanical power energy wind cranks an electric generator. The more people who learn to harvest the wind, the more efficient we will become at preserving the planet. People can harvest wind to power much of the everyday tools we use in life. Learning how wind produces energy is something we are all taught in elementary school. It isn’t a mind-boggling process, but it does require some critical thinking to put it into practice.
How do Wind Turbines Work?
Wind turbines are the opposite of electric fans. Instead of using electricity to create wind, turbines use wind to generate electricity. As the force of the wind turns the blades of the turbine, it creates a force of energy than can be used to lift, crank and push in kinetic action. It is this action that is used to generate electricity.
Types of Wind Turbines
Vertical Axis –
Doesn’t need to face into the wind to work; omnidirectional. They resemble huge egg-beaters.
Horizontal Axis –
Blades must face into the wind to operate. Most commonly identified. There are generally three blades that work like airplane propellers.
What are Wind Farms?
Wind farms have many large scale wind turbines onsite. The create massive amounts of wind power. They can be located on land or in body of water situated a specified distance from the shore. The most popular utility-range wind turbines have power capabilities in the 700 KW and 1.8 MW ranges. They are put together in groups to get the most electricity out of the wind supplies available. They are normally spread out in country areas with high wind speeds. The small environmental footprint means the agricultural use of the land is virtually unchanged. Wind farms have capacities ranging anywhere from a few megawatts to several hundred.
How is Wind Power Stored?
While there is no way to store wind, there are a few options to store the energy it produces. Most have very high startup costs which can cause issues. Compressed air energy storage can be used by compressing the air generated by the turbines to use later when there isn’t as much wind. It can also be stored by using hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.
What is Solar Energy?
Simply put, solar energy is the energy harnessed from the heat and light of the sun. There are many ways to do this. Harvesting solar energy is done by either passive or active solar technologies. The difference lies in the method used to harvest and distribute the energy. Solar water heating and photovoltaic systems used in solar panels are considered active solar technologies. Orienting structures to the Sun and building with light dispersing materials and those with advantageous thermal mass are ways to passively harness solar energy.
What are the Differences Between Wind Energy and Solar Energy?
The biggest difference between wind energy and solar energy is how much more efficient wind power is. While they both reduce pollution, wind energy doesn’t release the CO2 into the air that solar power does. Wind turbines also produce more energy than solar panels and take less energy to work. The way wind turbines work is also very different from how solar panels and other solar energy techniques work. Learning how to harvest energy means understanding the differences and how they can affect the structure where they are employed. There are some disadvantages to wind energy as well as solar energy. The key to knowing if how wind creates energy is the best choice for the environment or if solar energy would be more efficient is knowing the lay of the land.
Cons to Solar and Wind Energy
These choices in natural, renewable energy are not without their disadvantages. They both can be unreliable sources, if the day is not windy or sunny. They are often seen as eyesores to neighbors and community members. Wind harvest farms are not always visually pleasing. The materials used to build solar panels and wind turbines is expensive and rare. How wind energy works is one of the disadvantages to wind energy because it makes a lot of noise that can often be loud and distracting. For this reason, they are usually kept to isolated rural areas, but they can be harmful to wildlife.
Is Wind Energy Better?
When first considering how to harvest energy, consumers look for the cheapest, easiest way to harvest wind and use energy wind to power their homes and other structures. There are a few very positive points to consider when changing wind to energy. Solar panels can only harvest energy when there is sunshine. Wind harvest farms can harvest the wind whenever it blows. Wind farms can build their turbines offshore too, and they are capable of producing energy on a mammoth scale, much larger than solar energy.
Both solar power and wind power are real answers to the problem facing our energy resources today. We know how wind produces energy and we know how wind energy works and how wind creates energy, however, new ways of harvesting it are always being developed and improved.