Wind Energy

Paul Driftmier

Renewable Energy Sources

Wind energy is 3.5 times more

widely used than solar, with only
about 67,000 megawatts of energy
being generated by solar, and wind
producing in excess of 318,000
megawatts of electricity. In these
graphs, you can see both wind and
solar energy being used more widely,
and at an accelerating rate, just
within the last 20 years.

Wind and photovoltaic (solar) energy fall under the 2% in the graph above. 87% of 2012's
energy came from fossil fuels, which are much more polluting than hydro, wind, or solar. As
of 2011, nearly 32 billion barrels of oil are consumed worldwide per year. That equates to
around 1.344 trillion gallons

CO2 emissions
This graph details the CO2
emissions of several dierent
sources. In 2013, Carbon Dioxide
emissions reached a record 39.683
billion tons, with most of it coming
from coal electricity generation
and petroleum transportation.
These greenhouse gasses have a
massive impact on the earth's
climate. Replacing these coalreliant power plants with wind
farms could have massive positive
implications for the climate, as
wind energy creates no carbon
dioxide or other emissions, and
wind farms are much easier to
maintain than coal plants, meaning
they are much more cost ecient.

Inside a wind
turbine

As wind passes by the blades of the wind turbine, they spin, turning a shaft in the body of
the turbine, which leads to the gear box. The gear box is used to adjust the speed ratio
according to the wind speed, so the generators shaft is spinning at a constant speed when
on. The generator then uses powerful magnets and wire coils to convert the kinetic energy
into electric energy by forcing the electrons in the wire coils to move through them in the
direction of the magnets.'
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As the wind turbine requires no input other than wind and periodic maintenance, and
creates no emissions, wind energy is a completely pollutant-free way of creating electricity.

Conclusion
Wind energy, while not entirely widely used right now, is in fast incline, as
represented by the graph on the second slide. Wind energy is widely known
for being incredibly ecologically-friendly, and relatively low-maintenance,
when compared to other sources of energy, which typically require entire
factories of workers to maintain. It is generally a popular term for people,
when they talk about renewable energy sources. Wind energy is a great
technological solution to the human pollution problem today.

Wind Energy
Paul Driftmier

Bibliography

http://www.gwec.net/global-figures/graphs/'
http://www.intechopen.com/books/wind-farm-technical-regulations-potential-estimation-and-siting-assessment/technical-and-regulatory-exigencies-for-grid-connection-ofwind-generation'
http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/statistical-review-of-world-energy-2013-viva-la-shale-revolucion/'
http://blogg.nhh.no/reconhub/?p=70'
http://www.iea.org/aboutus/faqs/oil/'
http://onlyzerocarbon.org/uploads/US_2.gif'
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/us-global-carbon-emissions-idUSBRE9AI00A20131119'

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