The information on this page was prepared by:
| Mohd Suffian Muhili | mohdmuhi@usc.edu | Electrical Engineering |
Wind Energy
In the turn of the new millennium, mankind has achieved tremendous success that could only be dream before. We have experienced achievements and improvements in a lot of areas from the successful launch of hybrid cars that would eventually reduce air pollution’s produced by vehicles, to the recent success of NASA’s Mars Landing by Spirit and Opportunity. However, there is an issue that we need to give careful attention to- energy. As the day goes by, the world is experiencing the depletion of fossil fuels and natural gases. The fact that we depend largely on this source of energy in our daily routine combined with the fact that it is not renewable, makes energy the ultimate issues in many years to come. In this essay, I would analyze wind energy prospect as an alternative to other energy discussed in the 2001 U.S. National Energy Policy Report.
From Energy Information Administration, Winds are created by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, irregularities of the Earth’s surface, and the rotation of the Earth. As a result, winds are strongly influenced and modified by local terrain, bodies of water, weather patterns, vegetative cover, and other factors. The wind flow, or motion of energy when harvested by wind turbines, can be used to generate electricity. Although wind-based electricity only accounts a small fraction of total electric capacity, it is highly regarded as a great source of energy in years to come.
The resource of wind is rarely consistent because it varies from time to time, season, and topography. Besides that, the area’s surface and the obstacles are also important in determining wind resource. High surface roughness and larger obstacles in the path of the wind result in slowing the wind by creating turbulence. However, wind speed generally increases with height above ground.
Sources:
1. National Energy Policy 2001
2. http://www.eia.doe.gov/
3. http://www.awea.org/
4. http://www.windpower.org