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Wind Energy Project – What is it?
People have been tapping the power of wind for thousands of years to power windmills and drive sailboats. Without the power of wind, there would be no history of great explorers like Christopher Columbus, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, and John Cabot who voyaged across oceans and seas to explore the wonders of the world. Our ancestors would have struggled to travel across seas and oceans to trade with other nations.
Excessive heating of earth due to burning of fossil fuels have forced people across the globe to generate power through wind. Wind is another form of solar energy and is caused by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth’s surface and the rotation of the earth. Wind energy doesn’t generate any toxic emissions like fossil fuels and provide clean source of power. Like any other source of power generation, wind energy has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Before we get to understand what wind energy is, it would be helpful to know how winds are formed.
Formation of Winds
Wind is formed by large convectional currents in the earth’s atmosphere, powered by the sun’s heat energy. This basically implies that as long as the sun is shining, wind will be available.
The earth’s surface contains both water and land. When the sun shines, the air occurring over the surface of the land heats up pretty quick than that occurring over water. The heated air is relatively lighter, and so it begins to rise. On the other hand, the cooler air is denser, and so it takes the place and falls of the air occurring over the land. When night falls, the exact opposite happens. Air occurring over the water is warmer, and so it rises, and its place is taken over by the cooler air coming from land. This series of moving air is known as wind and harbors vast amounts of kinetic energy.
Wind energy is energy derived from the motion of the wind. Essentially, the speed of the wind, which is full of kinetic energy, is harvested and converted into mechanical energy to be used to turn windmills. The energy can also be converted into electricity. How? By installing turbines in their paths. The speeding winds will turn the turbine, which is tethered to a generator. The turning turbine will spark the generator to produce electricity.
Various Advantages of Wind Energy
The potential of wind energy is enormous. Scientists say that wind power is capable of supplying over 20% of world electricity if the necessary technologies are in place. The advantages and disadvantages of wind energy are in depth. However, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, which is why it’s rapidly being developed to provide clean source of energy. That said, here are the advantages accrued from embracing wind energy.
It’s a renewable energy source
Wind is a natural resource because it’s constantly replenished by the sun. Scientists project that the sun will continue to shine for the next 6-7 billion years, which is a bright prospect for wind energy investors.
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural), on the other hand, are nonrenewable sources of energy because they are projected to deplete in the next 50 years or so. They cause a whole lot of pollution by emitting a wide array of greenhouse gasses.
Eco-friendly
Wind energy is classified as a green source of energy since its production does not involve emission of dangerous fumes like fossil fuels. The manufacturing, transportation, and installation of wind turbines contribute to global warming gradually, the generation of electricity itself doesn’t contribute to the emission of greenhouse gasses in any way. This makes it a perfect energy source for the environment and humans.
Low operational costs
It’s perfectly true that initial installation of wind power technologies requires high capital outlay, more so installing a commercial wind turbine. It all boils down to the number of turbines to be installed, the date the turbine purchase agreement was activated, cost of financing, location of the turbine installation project, construction contracts and much more.
Minimizes overdependence on traditional sources of electricity
Over the years, households have entirely depended on traditional forms of electricity powered by fossil fuels. Investments in wind energy have helped bridge the power gap and helped dialed back on use of fossil fuels, which emit dangerous greenhouse gasses and cause global warming.
It could be an answer to the ever increasing demand for petroleum and gas products and would help us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels from other countries. Apart from this, it can also help to curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions which are the major source of global warming.
Doesn’t take up much land
Generally, wind energy is space efficient. The largest wind turbines capable of catering to the electricity needs of about 600 homes can be situated close together and the land in-between utilized for agricultural purposes. This is the real reason numerous farms stand to benefit a great deal from installation of wind turbines rather than solar panels.
Land owners can look for additional cash by installing wind turbines on land that can even be used for agricultural purposes. The electricity generated by wind power can be used for your own purpose which will reduce your monthly electricity bill and the surplus power can be sent back to the local grid which will result in more savings. You can check if your state government offers interest free loans or incentives on installation of wind turbines that will reduce the extra burden of initial investment on you.
Exponential growth
Although wind energy attributes to 2.5% of entire global electricity production, the capacity is developing at a remarkable rate of 25% each year since 2010. Apart from this exponential growth rate lowering the potential of global warming, it helps bring down the cost of electricity. Since the 1980’s, the prices of electricity have significantly gone down, thanks to the development of wind energy systems.
Incredible domestic potential
Individuals are able to generate their own electricity by harnessing the wind power the same way people use solar panels to generate their own energy. Perhaps the most attractive benefit of wind energy is protecting you from blackouts and fluctuating energy costs.
Massive potential
The potential of wind energy is totally incredible. The global potential of wind energy is more than 400 TW (terawatts).
Revitalizes rural economies
Since wind turbines are mostly installed in rural areas, the nearby towns get electricity, and economic activities spring up including small and large businesses. Small industries may also come up, thereby diversifying rural economies, and increasing the government’s tax base.
Creation of green jobs
Wind energy development projects bring about new short-term and long-term green jobs. Related jobs include meteorologists, structural engineers, surveyors, technicians, bankers, and assembly workers. Statistically, wind energy brings about more jobs than coal plants and 66% more employment opportunities than nuclear power plants per unit of energy produced.
Modern wind turbines
Today’s wind turbines are classy, attractive and modern looking. They don’t look like old plain clunky windmills that become an eyesore on your land. Wind turbines are available in various sizes and vast range of people can use it for their own use or sell power to local grid to reap some profits.
Development of wind energy has greatly reduced over-exploitation of minerals such as oil and coal. Destructive mining has since gone down. Also, some fuels like oil need to be transported to the refinery, and this is very dangerous since they are highly flammable. Wind energy development has reduced the rate of oil transportation over long distances.
Wind energy is energy derived from the motion of the wind. Essentially, the speed of the wind, which is full of kinetic energy, is harvested and converted into mechanical energy to be used to turn windmills. Wind energy is classified as a green source of energy since its production does not involve emission of dangerous fumes like fossil fuels. It’s perfectly true that initial installation of wind power technologies requires high capital outlay, more so installing a commercial wind turbine. Statistically, wind energy brings about more jobs than coal plants and 66% more employment opportunities than nuclear power plants per unit of energy produced.
Read more about latest wind energy project by UPC Renewables – Brian Caffyn
How To Prevent Mold In Your Home?
Identify problem areas in your house and correct them. You can’t mold-proof your house, however you can make it mold-resistant. Do an audit of your house: where are the problem locations? Does the basement flood? Do you see frequent condensation on an upstairs window? Exists a water stain on the ceiling from a persistent leak? Avoiding mold from growing or spreading might be as simple as ripping up carpet in a wet basement, installing mold-resistant products, or fixing harmed gutters. Or it might be a matter of a large mold remediation job, significant excavation and/or waterproofing. Whatever the case, attend to the problem now. It might cost some cash up front, but it will surely be more costly down the road if mold continues to grow unchecked.
Run filters. Together with vacuuming, running filters or air cleansers in your house will likewise help to remove mold spores in the air. Filters can be especially helpful in damp areas like restrooms, basements, and attics, along with near entrances like windows and doors. HEPA filters are amongst the most effective filters, and are able to get rid of over 99 percent of pollutants from the air.
Finally, educate yourself on your area’s environment– be it the cold and damp Northeast, the hot and wet South, the hot and dry Southwest, or the cold and dry West– and how it responds to wetness. There is no one-size-fits-all service when it concerns mold prevention. Understanding what works for your environment and your house is an essential initial step.
Usage exhaust fans and vents. Exhaust vents are essential in many rooms in your home, including the cooking area, restroom, and utility room. In the bathroom and kitchen, turn on exhaust fans anytime you prepare or shower. In the laundry room, make sure the drier is being vented to the exterior. You ought to also ensure that your crawl space and basement are effectively ventilated. If the air isn’t really distributing enough, set up vents or fans. Otherwise, there may be a requirement for future crawl space or basement mold removal.
Mold growth, which often appears like areas, can be several colors, and can smell musty. If you can see or smell mold, a health threat might exist. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform regular sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold exists, you should remove it. Given that the effect of mold on people can differ considerably, either because of the amount or type of mold, you can not depend on tasting and culturing to understand your health risk. Likewise, excellent tasting for mold can be costly, and standards for judging what is and what is not an appropriate amount of mold have actually not been set. The best practice is to get rid of the mold and work to prevent future development.
has covered home enhancement and green living topics for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. She has also written for dozens of national and local publications in more than a decade of freelancing.
Generally, the article specifies that there are no clinical research studies that reveal molds are unhealthy at normal indoor levels. Responses to molds that have actually been documented are: allergic actions, small irritant results and infections in individuals with impaired immune systems.
Lindseys Thinking Patterns 