Camryn WeisMrs. Shepherd English III18 January 2017Wind FarmsEach of the largest wind turbines generate enough electricity to power 600 United States homes, which is why wind farms are the fastest growing energy source in the world (“Cost of Wind Energy in the U.S”).
Many controversies are occurring today in our society about whether the benefits of wind turbines outweigh the cons. Although some disadvantages come with having wind turbines, it is quite clear that there are more advantages with having a society with them. Wind turbines forming wind farms are cost efficient, a great source of energy, and a clean fuel source (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”).One tremendous benefit of wind power is that it is cost efficient.
Many companies and businesses are competing against one another on wind prices (Lloyd, Dallas). Recently, companies reached the highest competition ever faced, making it extremely competitive throughout the world (“Cost of Wind Energy in the U.S”). “All the competition in our world today helps to make land based utility-scale wind one of the lowest priced energy sources available in our society today” (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”). Wind energy has zero fuel costs because the energy is produced by the sun as solar energy. By having a wind turbine, it eliminates payments made every month for electricity (“Cost of Wind Energy in the U.S”). This could greatly benefit a family who lives paycheck to paycheck because it could be one less expense to worry about each month.
One problem arises as cost is mentioned on wind farms. Homeowners trying to sell are starting to have doubts about wind turbines because property values are decreasing (Lloyd, Dallas). Also, the visual of the wind turbines are turning down possible buyers.
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Although wind turbines may lower profitable neighbors and cause aesthetic pollution, the benefits of the actual costs of the wind turbines are greater because the wind turbine itself is very cost efficient (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”).An important advantage of wind turbines is their clean fuel source. This itself is one of the most key benefits a wind turbine includes. Wind energy does not cause pollution in the environment like other energy sources do (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”). Compare a power plant to a wind turbine. The power plant would produce harm to the environment because of the pollution it creates, causing harm to human health and to local wildlife. The only way for a wind turbine to cause harm to local wildlife world be if the blades struck and animal such as a bird (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”). Wind turbines will cause aesthetic pollution, but not a real harm to the environment like other energy sources do.
Also, wind energy does not cause an atmospheric outflow that causes harmful effects such as acid rain, smog, or greenhouse gases. John Burroughs once said, “The fuel in the earth will be exhausted in a thousand or more years, and its mineral wealth, but man will find substitutes for these in the winds, the waves, the sun’s heat, and so forth. This quote holds to be true, because as reality sets in, no one can change the future of nonrenewable resources such as fuels. This quote could also be directly referring to wind turbines, because as resources run out, the wind will remain causing wind turbines to be the future for energy. ” Wind turbines are a source of a renewable energy, making them not dependant on the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas (Eubanks, William). Renewable energy is very important to the environment because it is replenished by the sun and never runs out, which is why renewable energy is more beneficial than non-renewable energy.
Wind is a domestic source of energy. Over the past decade, the growing of wind power capacity in the United States has increased at an average of thirty percent per year, causing the United States wind supply to be very abundant because of the increase of workers employed. Of all the renewable energy in the United States, wind has the largest renewable generation capacity (Eubanks, William).
Because of the escalation in wind farms, many jobs are being created for many unemployed people, which is why wind farms are a great source for new jobs. In 2016, the wind sector employed more than 100,000 workers, bringing futures to the unemployed. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has named wind the fastest growing American job of the decade. Wind itself, has the potential in the near future to create and support more than 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy”). This helps to create jobs for unemployed and poverty-stricken families.
Wind farms can be build on existing farms and ranches. Many great benefits in the economy, especially in rural areas arise because of the wind farms build there. People pay argue that wind resource development is not the most profitable use of the land, but many farmers disagree. The farmers can still continue to work on their land like they normally do because wind turbines only take up a fraction of the land. An advantage coming from this is that wind power plants make rent payments to farmers for the use of their land, making the farmer continue to have an income from the wind turbine being placed on their land.
This provides the landowners with an additional income just for having a wind turbine built on their land (“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Farms”). That is a big advantage for farmers and ranchers. The only disadvantage to this is that some farmers complain about the noise and aesthetic pollution that are caused because of the wind turbine. Others agree that the little noise it may make is worth the additional income provided (Eubanks, William).Wind turbines can come in many different sizes and can be built in a variety of ways. The range of sizes available for wind turbines is a great advantage for places with less land than others. This helps wind turbines to be able to fit a variety of different sites in many different places.
Convenience is the major benefit, especially for businesses, residentials, and munipals which provide a different amount of land to be available to be built on (“Wind Energy Basics”).Many future plans and goals are made for the future of wind turbines. The United States main goal is to have twenty percent of its electricity by wind power by 2030 (Lloyd, Dallas). That is a substantial and difficult goal to be accomplished, but the benefits would make it rewarding in our future.Wind farm benefits clearly compensate for the disadvantages they may bring. The clean fuel source and the affordable price of wind farms are key benefits in choosing a society with wind farms than one without. Wind turbines are a great way to make the environment more clean and green, and create a new and bright future for energy.
Work Cited”Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy.”U.S. Department of Energy.
Retrieved from https://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and- challenges-wind-energy. Accessed 2 January 2018 “Cost of Wind Energy in the U.
S.” (2013). American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved from https://www.
awea.org/falling-wind-energy-costs. Accessed 2 January 2018Eubanks, William. “Main Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy.”Green Growing. Retrieved from https://www.greenandgrowing.
org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-wind-energy/. Accessed 1 January 2018Lloyd, Dallas. (11 December 2014).
“Wind Energy: Advantages and Disadvantages.” Stanford University. Retrieved from http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2014/ph240/lloyd2/. Accessed 1 January 2018″Wind Energy Basics.” Wind Energy Development Programmatic EIS. Retrieved from http://windeis.
anl.gov/guide/basics/. Accessed 3 January 2018
