Wind Energy

Wind is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. In fact, wind exists because the sun unevenly heats the surface of the Earth. As hot air rises, cooler air moves in to fill the void. As long as the sun shines, the wind will blow. And as long as the wind blows, people will harness it to power their lives. Ancient mariners used sails to capture the wind and explore the world. Farmers once used windmills to grind their grains and pump water. Today, more and more people are using wind turbines to wring electricity from the bree e. !ver the past decade, wind turbine use has increased at more than "# percent a year. $till, it only provides a small fraction of the world%s energy.

&ost wind energy comes from turbines that can be as tall as a "'( story building and have three "''(foot(long )*'(meter(long+ blades. These contraptions loo, li,e giant airplane propellers on a stic,. The wind spins the blades, which turn a shaft connected to a generator that produces electricity. !ther turbines wor, the same way, but the turbine is on a vertical axis and the blades loo, li,e a giant egg beater. The biggest wind turbines generate enough electricity to supply about *'' -.$. homes. Wind farms have tens and sometimes hundreds of these turbines lined up together in particularly windy spots, li,e along a ridge. $maller turbines erected in a bac,yard can produce enough electricity for a single home or small business.

Wind Energy & the Environment

Wind: A Clean Source of Energy
Wind is a clean source of renewable energy that produces no air or water pollution. The use of wind for energy has fewer environmental impacts than using many other energy sources. Wind turbines )often called windmills+ do not release emissions that pollute the air or water )with rare exceptions+, and they do not [Link] water for cooling. They may also reduce the amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels and therefore reduce the amount of air pollution, carbon dioxide emissions, and water use of fossil fuel power plants. And since the wind is free, operational costs are nearly ero once a turbine is erected. &ass production and technology advances are ma,ing turbines cheaper, and many governments offer tax incentives to spur wind(energy development. A wind turbine has a small physical footprint relative to the amount of electricity it can produce. &any wind pro/ects, sometimes called wind

farms, are located on farm, gra ing, and forest land. The extra income from the turbines may allow farmers and ranchers to stay in business and ,eep their property from being developed for other uses. For example, wind power pro/ects have been proposed as alternatives to mountain top removal coal mining pro/ects in the Appalachian mountains of the -.$. !ff(shore wind turbines on la,es or the ocean may have smaller environmental impacts than turbines on land. Drawbacks of Wind Turbines Wind turbines do have negative impacts on the environment, but the negative impacts have to be balanced with our need for electricity and the overall lower environmental impact of using wind for energy relative to other sources of energy to ma,e electricity. &odern wind turbines are very large machines, and some people do not li,e their visual impact on the landscape. A few wind turbines have caught on fire, and some have lea,ed lubricating fluids, though this is relatively rare. $ome people do not li,e the sound that wind turbine blades ma,e. $ome types of wind turbines and wind pro/ects cause bird and bat deaths. These deaths may contribute to declines in species that are also being affected by other human(related impacts. &any birds are ,illed from collisions with vehicles and buildings, by house cats and hunters, and by pesticides. Their natural habitats may be altered or destroyed by human development and by the changes in the climate that most scientists believe are caused by greenhouse gases emissions from human activities )which wind energy use can help reduce+. The wind energy industry and the -.$. government are researching ways to reduce the impact of wind turbines on birds and bats.

&ost wind power pro/ects on land also [Link] service roads that add to their physical impact on the environment. &a,ing the metals and other materials in wind turbines and the concrete for their foundations [Link] the use of energy, which may be from fossil fuels. $ome studies have shown that wind turbines produce much more clean electricity over their operating life than the [Link] amount of energy used to ma,e and install them. 0evertheless, the wind energy industry is booming. 1lobally, generation more than .uadrupled between "''' and "''*. At the end of last year, global capacity was more than 2',''' megawatts. In the energy(hungry -nited $tates, a single megawatt is enough electricity to power about "#' homes. 1ermany has the most installed wind energy capacity, followed by $pain, the -nited $tates, India, and 3enmar,. 3evelopment is also fast growing in France and 4hina. Industry experts predict that if this pace of growth continues, by "'#' the answer to one third of the world%s electricity needs will be found blowing in the wind.

Wind Energy Facts

Wind power involves turning energy from the wind into other forms of useful energy. Wind power can be harnessed in a number of different ways. For example, windmills create mechanical energy, sails move boats and wind turbines generate electricity. Windmills have been around for a long time, they were used in 5ersia )Iran+ as far bac, as "'' 6.4. Wind energy is clean and renewable. 7arge groups of wind turbines are called wind farms. Around 8' different countries use wind power to generate electricity commercially )as of "''9+. In :992 wind power generated only '.:; of the world<s electricity, this increased to :.#; in "''8 and ".#; in "':'. In some countries such as 3enmar, and 5ortugal, wind power contributes around "'; of the total electricity production. The large blades of wind turbines can interfere with some radar systems used by weather stations or air traffic controls, at times being mista,en for planes or various weather patterns. $maller turbines are sometimes used to charge batteries or as bac,up power in caravans and sailing ships. &odern wind turbines usually have = blades which can reach speeds at the tip of over ="' ,ph )"'' mph+. The tips of large wind turbines can reach heights up to "'' m )*#'ft+.

Wind turbines can even be installed offshore on floating structures, sending the electricity generated bac, to land with the help of undersea cables.

Wave Energy

Wave energy is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful wor, > for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water )into reservoirs+. &achinery able to exploit wave power is generally ,nown as a wave energy converter )WE4+.

In "''8, the first experimental wave farm was opened in 5ortugal, at the Agu?adoura Wave 5ar,. The ma/or competitor of wave power is offshore wind power. How Does Wave Power Work? 6elieve it or not, the energy trapped in ocean waves can be called a form of solar energy. Well, you ,now that energy can<t be created or destroyed. It can only be moved from one place or form to another. The heat energy from the sun warms the earth unevenly. This causes air to move around and create wind. The wind then blows across the surface of the ocean, creating waves. $o, following that chain, the sun gives off energy as heat. The heat energy is changed into wind energy. Finally, the wind energy is turned into wave energy, which is a ,ind of ,inetic energy. $cientists are wor,ing on several different ways of capturing wave energy. There are devices that sit perpendicular, or crossways of the waves. When the wave hits them, it causes special parts to move and generate electricity. There are others that sit on top of the water and catch waves, ma,ing the water inside the device higher than the rest of the ocean. As this water flows over the top of the device, it turns small turbines and ma,es electricity. These devices and others li,e them that capture wave energy are called wave converters. Benefits of Wave Energy -sing wave energy is good for many reasons. First of all, it does not create any harmful gases or solids that will pollute our environment. It ma,es electricity without doing any harm to the Earth. It is also good because there is plenty of it available. $ince the electricity is made from ocean waves and there will always be waves,

this is a renewable resource that will never run out li,e fossil fuels will. Wave energy is also cheap. After the wave converter devices are put in place, it costs very little to ,eep them wor,ing and to capture the energy. This means that the electricity made from wave energy won<t cost people as much as some other forms of energy.

Drawbacks of Wave Energy @ou might wonder why we don<t get all of our electricity from wave energy since it is clean, cheap, and renewable. While wave energy is a promising source of clean energy, the technology is not perfect yet. The wave converters can be very, very expensive to build and the ones that have already been invented are not always dependable. &any people also worry that catching wave energy might not be completely safe for our environment. Even though it does not ma,e any pollution, there is a chance that the fluids used in the devices could lea, out and pollute the water. This could hurt or ,ill valuable ocean plants and animals. $ince the wave converters have to be attached to the ocean floor, many people worry that this will harm ocean ecosystems and cause other problems. $till other people wonder if catching wave energy will be bad for people. First of all, the devices can create a lot of noise pollution and can ruin the beauty of the ocean. &any people thin, this ,ind of energy is not worth ruining the ocean<s peaceful beauty. There is also a problem with wave converters being dangerous to ships. &any of the world<s goods are transported by ships across the ocean. Wave converters can get in the way of shipping routes and may cause the

danger of collisions, which would cause the ship<s fuel and other things to pollute the ocean. Even if all of these problems can be fixed, wave energy will still not be perfect. It ta,es areas with a lot of waves to create enough electricity to pay for the converters. There are only a few places on our planet that have that ,ind of wave activity. Those places are located off the coast of !regon, $cotland, and 5ortugal. These places are being used as testing areas for new types of wave converters. Wave energy is a promising source of clean, safe electricity for our planet. It is cheap to ma,e and does not produce pollution that can harm our planet. It is also a perfect renewable resource. Although it has many good .ualities, some people thin, it is a bad idea because of the possibility of harmful fluid lea,s, dangers to ocean ecosystems, noise and visual pollution, and danger to ships traveling across the ocean. While this type of energy will probably never be used to produce all of our planet<s electricity, it is sure to become an important source of energy for many as scientists figure out better, safer ways to use it.

Tidal Energy

Tidal Energy is the energy produced from the tidal power, which is nothing else than the power of a tide. Tidal 5ower is more predictable than the other two ma/or renewable energy sources, solar power and wind power. Facts about Tides, t e sources of Tidal Energy

Tides are simply the rise and fall of water level and are caused by combination of two forcesA the gravitational force of either the sun or the moon and by the rotation of the Earth. There are places which experience two not /ust one high tides and an [Link] number of low tides. The rise and fall of water levels varies from place to place but it is measured and it is ,nown at the specific place and it is ,nown at the tidal range! A tidal range of :' feet )= meters+ is enough to enable us to produce tidal energy which will be economically viable. "s Tidal Power #enewable? @es Tidal power is renewable because tides will continue to happen as long as the sun and the moon exist and as long as the Earth turnsB Water is not used at all in this processC it /ust rises and falls so tides will continue to ebb and flow. There are basically = ways to capture the power of the tide and convert it into useful tidal energy. These are theA Tidal Barrages, Tidal Fences and Tidal Turbines! Tidal Barrages A barrage is a dam which is built along a watercourse so as to increase the depth of the water. 6arrages are built on inlets on the seashore. A barrage has gates which allow the water to come in at the

instance of a high tide. The water is trapped in the barrage and when the water level on the outside of the barrage lowers the power of the outgoing tide is used to turn the generator and produce electricity. The outgoing tide is also ,nown as ebb. &odern generation systems used at barrages produce electricity both directions, that is, in the inflow and outflow of water.

Tidal Fences Tidal Fences are another way to capture the power of the tide and convert it into useful energy. In this case vertical axis turbines are mounted in the fences which are used to fence the water. The water is forced to pass through the turbine and thus turn the turbine the power of which produces electricity. While tidal barrages are built at inlets, tidal fences are built in areas where there are channels of water. Tidal Turbines Tidal turbines operate with the same philosophy as the wind turbines and they are basically water turbines which are located under the water at locations where there is strong tidal flow. This way when the water flows, it turns the turbine which produces electricity.

As with any time of power, Tidal power has both advantages and disadvantages.

Tidal Power $dvantages

$ome of the advantages of Tidal power areA

It is cheap to produce Tides are predictable thus tidal power is predictable too

6eing predictable it ma,es it very reliable and thus we can plan its used It does not produce any waste or pollution

Tidal Power Disadvantages

As with every form of energy, Tidal Energy has some disadvantagesA

0ot many sites in the world are suitable for Tidal Energy. There is high initial cost, especially in the case of 6arrages It only produces energy for about :' hours, the period that the tide lasts It may cause disruption of the animal and plant life in the area where the plants are built

%o&e &ore Tidal Energy Facts In addition to all the Tidal Energy facts given you may find some more facts belowA

Although there is a high initial cost in setting up a tidal energy plant, its operational cost is very low because there is no need for staffing it. The tides do their wor, unattended It is hard to give the cost of electricity produced per ,W from the tidal power because the cost varies per geographical area. Tidal Turbines are gaining popularity among the methods of tidal energy due to their lower cost than the other two methods

Tidal Energy plants have efficiency of 8'; which is probably the highest of the other renewable green energy sources and especially some forms of solar energy Tidal Energy plants can be built in such a way that they would be beneficial to the community in more forms than one, li,e acting as a bridge between to areas of land. The -$A has no tidal plants as of today.

Tidal Energy is one of the # renewable green energy sources and despite of the fact that is location specific, it has great potential at places with high tides.