Can you conserve wind energy

Wind farms have tens and sometimes hundreds of these turbines lined up together in particularly windy spots. Smaller turbines erected in a backyard can produce enough electricity for a single home or small business.

Wind is a clean source of renewable energy that produces no air or water pollution. And since the wind is free, operational costs are nearly zero once a turbine is erected. Mass production and technology advances are making turbines cheaper, and many governments offer tax incentives to spur wind-energy development. Drawbacks include complaints from locals that wind turbines are ugly and noisy. The slowly rotating blades can also kill birds and bats, but not nearly as many as cars, power lines, and high-rise buildings do.

The wind is also variable: If it's not blowing, there's no electricity generated. Nevertheless, the wind energy industry is booming. Thanks to global efforts to combat climate change, such as the Paris Agreement, renewable energy is seeing a boom in growth, with wind energy leading the way. From to , cumulative wind capacity around the world increased from 17, megawatts to more than , megawatts.

In , China also surpassed the EU in the number of installed wind turbines and continues to lead installation efforts. Industry experts predict that if this pace of growth continues, by one third of the world's electricity needs will be fulfilled by wind power. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants.

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Renewable sources. Nature also uses wind as a renewable energy source, as the Earth's rotations and varying atmospheric pressures keep air moving on a continuous basis. As wind intensities vary depending on location and setting, open rural-type areas create the best conditions for harnessing and storing wind for future use.

A wind turbine is made up of a rotor, a series of blades and a shaft. As the wind blows against the blades, the rotor turns the shaft. When the shaft is connected to a generator, wind energy is converted into mechanical energy, which causes the generator to spin. As the generator spins, electrical power or energy is created. Generator equipment is also capable of storing electrical power for later use, much like a battery cell stores energy.

Open areas free of buildings and trees create the best conditions for a wind generator to work. Turbine systems vary in the amount of power they can generate. Turbine capacity is determined by the number and size of the rotor blades, as larger blades and a greater number of blades can generate more power.