Wind power. The phrase ‘wind CN505 power station‘ can be explained as the process by which wind energy is harnessed. The kinetic energy from light air, fresh breezes to near gales has been captured for thousands of years by seafarers to windsurfers, kite flyers to hang gliders, farmers to millers & now power generation companies to the homeowner.
Wind power exists by virtue of many natural forces & phenomena. Wind circulates around the globe continuously as a result of solar radiation heating the earth’s terrain & atmosphere in varying amounts dependent on factors like geology, climate, latitude, topography, altitude & seasons. We’ve all seen broadcasts of the weather on the news depicting isobars on a map of your state or country which represent areas of equal barometric pressure. When they’re closer together, winds are stronger – as in a low pressure cell associated with colder weather, storms & in the extreme, hurricanes or cyclones depending where you live. Widely spaced isobars represent relatively calm conditions but by no means accurate for any given location. Formerly measured in millibars, most countries now quantify isobars in hectopascals.
Differences in atmospheric pressure also drive wind movements & advection facilitates the conveyance of warm & cold air as well as humidity. Cool, dense, heavier air will gravitate towards pockets where lighter warm air is displaced. The many different layers of the atmosphere affect the intensity of wind power which can be experienced on a macro level e.g. trade winds, jet streams, easterlies & westerlies or influenced on a micro or local level e.g. water bodies, areas of dense or no vegetation, mountain ranges, built up areas, cliff tops & valleys to name a few.
Is capturing wind energy cost effective? Wind power is virtually a zero cost resource that is still largely untapped. Studies have shown that wind energy has the potential to provide more than enough electrical power to meet the needs of every household or business on earth alone. Our reliance on coal & nuclear power could be done away with completely purely by concentrating our efforts to capture wind power. Can the average householder make a difference by collecting their own green energy? Yes you can. There now lies a wealth of knowledge in book stores, libraries & on the internet about how we all can make a difference to your own situation on a micro level but if a lot of people get on board the results can be seen on a macro level.
What do I mean by this? Modern technology has provided us with the knowhow to ‘green’ our homes more efficiently than ever before. Home solar power technology has gone ahead in leaps & bounds & is gaining popularity with governments who are willing to subsidize the installation costs of homemade green energy. Harnessing wind power is gaining momentum as a more cost effective way to power one’s home given the elevated costs involved with professionally installed solar powered systems. In fact, the larger & higher your wind power system is, the cheaper it becomes to produce electricity. Conversely, the larger the solar power array is, the cost per produced kw/h is increased due to the initial layout cost.
