Wind energy has both positive and negative points. The positive ones stem largely from the fact that it is completely non-polluting and that wind energy can be generated any time when it is needed as long as the wind is blowing.
New advances in the way that wind turbines are designed mean that intelligence is built in. The blades of the turbines adjust automatically to align themselves with wind direction and therefore maximize the amount of energy that can be produced in any one place. As they do so, they do not contaminate the atmosphere which is in stark comparison to the conventional fossil fuel energy generation mechanisms that's have proved to be so harmful to the earth's atmosphere and the ozone layer.
In Cape Cod in Massachusetts a wind park is being built in the neighborhood for the testing of wind machines and turbines so that they can be deployed for advantageous energy generation. In addition in Texas, the Horse Hollow wind energy center is one of the largest wind turbine batteries in the country. More than 220,000 homes in the area are powered by the 421 win turbines in the center.
When the U.S. uses wind energy, it does not have to pay the large amounts of money which currently go out of the country because of oil imports. These payments have had a negative effect on the country's economy as a whole. Wind however is available in many parts of the United States and is not necessarily imported from any other countries or regions.
As a natural force of energy it can be used by anyone who is living in the country and who wishes to install a wind turbine. It is natural and renewable as a form of energy and results simply from the sun's heat falling on the earth and the continuous turning of the earth on its axis.
Solar energy is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy that is available anywhere on earth. It shares this characteristic with energy such as solar energy and if appropriately deployed can generate energy for a cost as low as 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. Factors affecting the cost include project financing and the correct choice of the site for wind generation.
Individual power suppliers are now contracting with farmers and ranchers to install their wind turbines on the farmers land. They then rent the land from the Farmer. This is an arrangement, which is mutually beneficial because a wind turbine power has a minimal footprint, and therefore is of no real consequence in terms of land usage compared to farmers and ranchers. Isolated farms and ranches also often have abundant supplies of wind, which generate low cost electricity, which can then be immediately sold.
Installation costs for wind turbines are still relatively elevated compared to conventional power generation. This is a factor, which must be taken into account when seeing if this is competitive compared with fossil fuel installations.
It is also true that wind velocity needs to be as constant as possible for people to be able to rely on the wind electricity generated. Natural catastrophes may very well alter the situation. In addition, to install a large number of turbines the amount of land that is required clearly goes up.
The wind energy generated is not always available to the intense concentrations of electricity usage experienced in towns and cities. The reason is that when generation sites are often remote from towns and cities and therefore the infrastructure required to carry the electricity from the site to the town turns out to be too expensive.
Wind turbines are not necessarily the most beautiful of machines. There is a current of opinion stating that they are an eyesore on natural landscapes. Environmentalists are also concerned about the amount of noise the wind turbines produce that may disturb wildlife in the area.
Jim Martin is a researcher, inventor, home energy consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Earth 4 Electricity- Renewable Energy Made Easy". Jim has written dozens of home energy related articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.
To Learn More about Jim Martins Unique Step By Step Solar and Wind Power System Visit: Wind Energy
