Wind power is gaining popularity around the world with countries heavily investing in offshore turbines as well as inland based turbines. This source of power is friendly to the environment and hence it’s increased use. Considering the ranking done by World Wind Energy Association, China tops the list in terms of wind power market size followed by the United State. By June 2017 China had produced wind capacity of around 677 gigawatts from installations (Pham & Rivers np). This translates to almost half of the total new installations done in the world. Investors and manufacturers seeking long-term stability in the United States have been facing a lot of challenges as a result of uncertainties in political support for wind power.
Turbine technology is the newest innovation in the energy industry and it has been of great benefit to electricity consumers and utilities as it is associated with reduced and affordable electricity rates(Advantages And Challenges Of Wind Energy | Department Of Energy NP). They are built in rural areas whereby the plant owners pay rent to the farm owners and ranchers thus creating an extra income for them. Apart from being a clean source of power, wind power is sustainable and also creates jobs
In terms of wind power generation China is always at the top with an exploitable capacity of 2380 gigawatts on land and 200 gigawatts offshore (Pham & Rivers np). Wind power consumption in China represents 4% of the total national electricity consumption in China. The U.S had wind power generating a capacity of 82,183 megawatts by January 2017 and 254.2 terawatts-hours by November 2017 and this translated to about 6.33% of all the electrical energy generated in the country.
Germany is the third largest wind power producer by installations in the world after China and USA. It had an installed capacity of 55.6 gigawatts by 2017 constituting of 5.2 gigawatts offshore installations and 50.4 inland installations. This is equivalent to 13.3% of the total electricity generation in the country and is slightly below the USA’s wind power production which stood at 82.2 gigawatts in the same year. The cost of wind in Germany has reduced drastically in the past few years as a result of Germany’s energy transition (Energiewende) which promotes technological development leading to the creation of the global market for wind and other renewable powers (Burgermeister NP). This comes as a lesson to the United States and other countries which are following suit.
Regulations have been put in place by the German government to ensure that by the middle of this century solar, biomass and wind energy will make 80% of power supplies. Currently, they are giving 28% of the electricity demand in the country. In terms of policy-making and technology, Germany is ranked in the first position while USA is having a lot of difficulties in implementing stable and adequate renewable energy policies and has only 7% share of renewable (Burgermeister NP). Policy making in the line of wind energy is also a good lesson that USA should learn from Germany.
A lot of advantages are derived from use of wind energy which includes cost-effectiveness. It is the cheapest source of energy because its fuel cost is free. Wind energy is a clean source of energy as it does not pollute the environment. It is a renewable source of energy and cannot be exhausted because wind occurs naturally. Wind energy contributes positively to the annual economic growth of a country and this raises the country’s economic competitiveness (Advantages And Challenges Of Wind Energy | Department Of Energy NP).
However, wind energy is also faced with numerous challenges. Although this type of energy is less harmful to the environment, aesthetic and noise pollution emanating from the turbines raises a concern. Wind energy is mostly generated in rural areas away from cities where it is most needed and transmission becomes a challenge. Spinning turbines also prove to be harmful to the local wildlife and birds which are killed and some badly injured and this reduces their population (Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy | Department Of Energy, NP).
The United States of America mostly relies on imported wind turbines which are expensive. Some of the lessons learnt to include; The USA should manufacture its turbines because this will help in cost reduction, investment in architectural education should be given priority because sustainable development and innovations in wind energy cannot be possible without sufficiently trained manpower and lastly, research and development in the country need to be boosted through allocation of enough resources.
- Advantages And Challenges Of Wind Energy | Department Of Energy”.
- Jane Burgermeister, European Correspondent. “Germany: The World’s First Major Renewable Energy Economy”.
- Pham, Sherisse and Rivers, Matt. “China Is Crushing The U.S. In Renewable Energy”. Cnnmoney, 2018