Wind Farms and Wind Turbines as Sustainable Energy Sources

Introduction

Meeting the needs of an energy-hungry United States has assumed new relevance and importance in recent years, and the experiences with four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline have driven this point home among consumers and policymakers alike. According to Keley (2007), "Americans are a power-hungry society, demanding conservation of natural resources and protection of the environment while simultaneously using an incredible supply of electricity" (p. 489). While experts continue to debate the best course of action to help the nation transition from a fossil-fuel-based economy to one that relies on a combination of sustainable alternative energy sources, an increasing number of analysts have pointed to wind power as a largely untapped resource in terms of its overall contribution to the nation's energy needs.

Identifying sustainable and alternative energy sources has become a national priority, but the drive to make the paradigm shift from fossil fuels has not been easy or inexpensive. Some initiatives, such as nuclear energy, carry trade-offs that may introduce one potential environmental catastrophe in place of another. Fortunately, methods such as wind power already have a proven track record of performance with minimal environmental impact. Although wind power continues to represent a small percentage of the total energy supply for the United States, wind farms are increasingly appearing across the country, and continuing investments suggest that costs will decline while innovations will help wind farm efficiencies increase, making this alternative energy source increasingly competitive with existing sources.

The State of U.S. Renewable Energy and Wind Power Growth

This paper provides an overview of the pros and cons related to wind power generation, including its costs compared to other traditional and alternative energy sources, its current contribution to the nation's energy needs, the types of wind turbines in use and under development, as well as current and future trends in wind power applications. A summary of the research and relevant recommendations are presented in the conclusion.

In their study "Assessing U.S. Energy Policy," Brown, Sovacool, and Hirsh (2006) report that in spite of increased efforts over the past thirty years to identify alternative sources of energy, the United States remains highly dependent on foreign sources. "While progress in adopting more energy-efficient technologies has saved billions of dollars throughout the economy," Brown and his colleagues note, "most other indicators of energy autonomy — such as the percentage of imported fuel — demonstrate that the country has become less independent than ever" (p. 5).

Furthermore, there have been significant investments at both the federal and state level in alternative energy sources such as biomass production, geothermal energy, wind, and solar power, but all told, these alternative sources achieved only a 2% share of electricity generation over the past three decades (Brown et al., 2006). According to these authors, "Reductions in the cost of power produced from renewables in this time have been impressive, making them look increasingly attractive for future use" (p. 5). These improvements in technology and the associated efficiencies of scale will therefore likely make alternative energy sources even greater contributors to the nation's overall energy needs, a trend confirmed by more recent research. For example, Hansen (2005) found that "electricity generated from wind is becoming increasingly prevalent across the United States. Since 1981, installed wind capacity in the U.S. has grown from 10 megawatts (MW) to over 6,000 MW in 2003" (p. 341).

A number of factors have contributed to this impressive growth rate, including increasing environmental concern over traditional energy sources as well as the economies of scale and operating efficiencies being introduced in wind power technology (Hansen, 2005). In this regard, Hansen emphasizes that "increasing awareness and concern regarding the environmental consequences of power production, most notably global climate change, have increased interest in renewable forms of power generation, primarily in wind" (p. 341).

The use of wind power is not limited to the United States. By 2002, India had already installed 1,167 megawatts of wind farm capacity. Canada, Japan, Norway, and Germany have active Joint Implementation Programs that support their wind power programs, and Costa Rica had incorporated three wind power projects into its alternative energy initiatives (Ottinger, 2002, p. 331). The use of wind farms as a primary component in a comprehensive energy strategy in other countries continues to grow (Hansen, 2005).

Environmental Concerns and Public Opposition

Just as other alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric and nuclear power carry environmental drawbacks, critics of wind farms maintain that land-based wind power can cause unintended ecological damage, particularly for certain wildlife species, by transforming the landscape (Brown et al., 2006). Likewise, offshore wind farms that are expanding along the coasts of Europe have been cited as potential hazards to shipping, both because of their height — some exceeding 600 feet — and because of potential interference with ships' navigation systems (Gray, 2008).

Other objections have come from residents situated near proposed wind farm sites, who cite potential noise pollution and disruption of the aesthetic landscape. Keley (2007) reports that "recently there has been much debate over the construction of a proposed wind farm known as Cape Wind, near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A prominent resident of Martha's Vineyard for thirty years encapsulated the community's objection to the proposal: 'I'm not against wind turbines. I'm against 130 of them over 400 feet tall right smack in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in America'" (p. 490). Some environmentalists have also identified wind farms as potential hazards to migrating birds and bat populations (Motavalli, 2005, p. 27).

Perhaps most importantly from an operational standpoint, the wind is entirely unpredictable and can only be harnessed when it is blowing sufficiently hard to drive the turbines. As Hansen (2005) emphasizes, wind energy technologies represent a fundamentally different type of energy generation compared to traditional sources: "These traditional electricity generation sources, such as coal and natural gas fired power plants, are well understood and their behavior is predictable. . . . Wind power, however, does not exhibit these same characteristics. The fuel, wind, is free, but its use cannot be commanded by an operator, and the amount of power that will be produced at any one time is unknown. The wind blows as it will" (p. 341). Power companies must rely on known and predictable sources to meet their energy needs, and current wind power technologies make the integration of wind into the grid complicated and expensive, presenting a barrier to widespread installation (Hansen, 2005, p. 342).

Wind farm installations are typically large arrays and must be sited where they will receive the maximum available wind. Hansen (2005) advises that "the best sites for wind development have strong, frequent winds" (p. 342). Based on several decades of wind-mapping research, wind resources are currently classified on a scale of 1 ("Poor") to 7 ("Superb"), and industrial-scale wind generation plants are now constructed in areas designated as Class 3 or higher (Hansen, 2005).

Conclusion and Recommendations

The research showed that it is apparent that the general public is aware of wind power technology and wants to know more about it. Policymakers and researchers alike are scurrying to identify the best way to use these technologies to help wean the country off of its fossil fuel diet, and wind power appears to be sufficiently well developed to provide commercially viable alternatives for fossil fuel sources. Because such initiatives represent a way to improve national security by reducing reliance on foreign supplies that can be disrupted in unexpected ways, wind power and other alternative energy sources have received considerable attention from the federal government, and it is reasonable to conclude that wind power will continue to improve in efficiency while the costs associated with its installation and use continue to decline as innovations are introduced and economies of scale are realized.