The Pros

Wind energy (WE) has been developed in the past few years such that it is now cost competitive to other fuel sources (like natural gas) and it is the least expensive of all renewable energy sources.

Because the fuel in the form of wind is free, wind energy can provide a stable long-term price for power production. So is it surprising that wind energy is the fastest growing energy generation industry globally?

WE can help to meet the increasing global energy demand, and commitments from governments globally to international agreements including the Kyoto Protocol (UNFCCC 1997) to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, as well as individual country commitments to mandatory renewable energy targets.

Given the right support it has been claimed that it can provide up to 28% of EU electricity by 2030.

WE is also advantageous over traditional methods of creating energy, in the sense that it is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce this type of energy as the technology matures, and mass production of the blades becomes routine. Wind may soon be the cheapest way to produce energy on a large scale, after all, it has come so far already in such a short time, and there must be many more ways to optimize its efficiency not even dreamt of yet.

Wind energy is very abundant in many parts of the United States. Wind resources are characterized by wind-power density classes , ranging from class 1 (the lowest) to class 7 (the highest).

It is clean energy. Unlike coal or natural gas, every kilowatt-hour of this type of energy is free of toxic emissions that pollute our air and water.

Unlike coal or natural gas, every kilowatt-hour is free of toxic emissions that pollute our air and water.

Wind farms produce no air or water pollution because no fuel is burned.

It is in reality just a form of solar energy.

Using windmills is a very ancient skill, which may have even been developed in China before 1 AD, but the earliest written documentation comes from 1219. Cretans were said to be using literally hundreds of sail-rotor windmills to pump water for crops and livestock.

WE does not sterilize land from production. Farmers and ranchers can continue to work the land because the turbines use only tiny a fraction of the land area.

Wind power plant owners make rent payments to the farmer or rancher for the use of the land, which supports the economy remote areas and provides jobs for local people. Farmers who own land that is suitable for wind farming can also take advantage of their location by installing their own wind turbine or by leasing wind rights to a wind power company.

Then techniques we use today to harness the wind are still developing. This is not a perfect technology, but it holds powerful potential to diversify power generation around the world.

The Cons

Wind energy is not easily stored, and not all air currents can be harnessed to meet the timing of electricity demands.

Good wind sites are often located in remote locations far from areas of electric power demand such as cities. This means that huge investment will be needed in new power distributions systems which will add to the cost greatly, and mean many more unsightly power lines marching across the land.

So, wind energy is not necessarily the cure all it is advertised to be. Due to the intermittent nature, industrial scale WE can produce an average of 10-21 % of the installed capacity (wind advocates claim 30%), requiring back up generation of 80-90%, which is usually going to have to be natural gas or coal.

Wind energy is not a linear function of the speed of the wind. For example, an increase in wind speed from 5 m/s to 6 m/s results in an increase in the yield of a turbine of not 20% but actually of 45%! But, once the wind rises too much no power at all is generated as the wind turbine blades are furled for their own protection.

However, this energy supply method can be built on the small scale easily. Models are available ranging from small residential-size wind turbines producing about 10 kw of power to experimental behemoths that are over 500 feet tall and produce 3 MW of power, wind harnessing technology has many forms and applications.

Badly placed wind power facilities have the potential to create major troubles for wildlife, particularly for bird life.

Turbines attached to structures that were not designed as a turbine foundation usually shake apart over time. Additionally, the vibrations translate into sound and can be unbearably noisy for those in the homes nearby.

These are the main pros and cons of wind energy. If you know of any more, please do add them, for consideration, by commenting on this article.