Wind Energy Advantages and Disadvantages Fully Explained

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Industrialization, population growth, and the excessive increase in human desires have caused energy consumption to reach its highest level in history. With our constant need of energy to work and reliance on fossil fuels and considering the disadvantages of using fossil fuels and, most importantly, the extent of environmental destruction caused by its use, we have been led to harness the renewables such as wind energy.

In this article, we are going to discuss wind energy advantages and disadvantages, as one of the most used renewables very briefly. Linquip has effectively gathered all the essential information you may need on this topic. Read on to get more acquainted with the benefits and frustrations of wind energy.

What is Wind Energy?

As you may know, there are five main renewable energies serving mankind: solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy. The energy generated from wind power is one of the most accustomed to in history. From ancient times, where the wind powered the ships and boats to sail the seas and oceans, humans have been benefited from this natural source of energy.

As long as the Earth stands and the sun shines, the wind will blow. The truth behind the existence of wind power is the pressure gradient. As the sun shines unevenly upon the earth, the uneven heat of the earth’s surface results in a difference in air temperature and consequently pressure. To achieve the power of wind, the kinetic energy of wind is employed to create mechanical power. There should be a generator to transform this mechanical power into electricity so that wind power may be usable for mankind.

Many types of electricity generation have been introduced. Certainly, wind power is one of the most effective origins for reaching to one of the cleanest and the most available energies in the world. The future of wind energy is very bright, but in addition to the benefits of harnessing wind power to generate energy, we also have seen some disadvantages. In the following, we will read about the most prominent wind energy advantages and disadvantages.

Wind Energy Advantages and Disadvantages

Without wasting time, we are quickly going to explore the advantages of using wind power to generate energy. What is obvious is that the advantages of wind energy are more prominent than its disadvantages. The main advantages of wind energy include an unlimited, free, renewable, and available resource of the wind phenomenon, the economic value it brings, the low costs of maintenance, and its harvesting facilities.

As we mentioned before, as long as the earth stands wind will blow, it means that the wind is an unlimited, free, and renewable resource which its natural occurrence, currents, and cycles are not affected by harvesting the kinetic energy it provides. secondly, one of the cleanest and most non-polluting ways of generating electricity stems from harnessing the wind. Generating electricity from the power of wind does not emit air pollutants or greenhouse gases.

Wind activates the turbines and in comparison to burning fossil fuels, wind energy is far more eco-friendly for producing electricity. Countries such as the United States remaining dependent on fossil fuels and attempting to rely on the supply of fossil fuels leave their economy exposed to market volatility by increasing the price of fossil fuels. Wind power can free such countries from the figurative economic bondage of fossil fuels. As the turbines and their belongings have been installed, we will find that the cost of turbines maintenance in comparison to the amount of electricity generated is about nothing.

Another benefit of wind energy is that you can set the turbines everywhere necessary. After conducting research and experiments, you will be able to spot suitable areas where there is adequate wind. Then the experts and specialists place the turbines in desired areas. These areas are usually uninhabited and unpopulated. Spots like offshore areas provide have the potential of smoother and steadier wind blow than on land.

That makes the offshore a better choice to place the turbines providing the potential for increased electricity generation. So far, we have discussed the advantages of using wind power the generate electricity. In the following we will elaborate on the disadvantages and by doing so, we will close the case of wind energy advantages and disadvantages.

There are two major disadvantages associated with wind energy including the initial costs and the immaturity of the technology. The initial costs of wind turbines consist of construction and maintenance. The turbines’ construction and its facilities are extremely expensive. The second disadvantage is the technology immaturity.

Technology, over time, becomes cheaper and more accessible as their production and installation methods get refined. However, some people believe that the implementation of wind energy turbines must be delayed until technological advancements are made.

What we mentioned above was the main disadvantages and obstacles to using wind energy. There are some minor disadvantages including:

Wind turbines have effects on the beautiful nature scenes: some people are worried about the visual effects that wind turbines have on the beautiful scenery of nature. Giant wind turbines and the distraction they cause are one of the issues viewers are struggling with.
Wind turbines have effects on wildlife: have you ever thought of the number of birds and bats killed by the wind power facilities? Wind turbines can be dangerous as their rotor can kill the flying animals. Experts are now doing research and experimentations to know more about the possible effects that turbines have on the wildlife.
The remoteness of the location of wind turbines brings more costs: as much as the installation of wind turbines on the land far from the populated area is an advantage, it is also kind of a hidden disadvantage. cost of travel, maintenance, and time consumption are the main issues regarding placing a wind turbine on far and distant areas. besides, handling offshore wind turbines needs boats that means more costs and more danger to bear.
Noise: the generator and facilities of wind turbines make unpleasant noises.
Safety at Sea: can you imagine the boats and ships sailing at night where the wind turbines exist? It could be dangerous and may lead to horrible collisions.

Conclusion

In this article, we tried to feed you with the most to-the-point- information about wind energy advantages and disadvantages. If you have any experience of working wind turbines near the place you live or have any opinion which makes this article a better source of information, share them with all of us on the comments. Besides, if you have any questions about wind power, wind turbines, and the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy, it’s better to sign up now and let our experts in Linquip help you out. Hope you enjoyed this article.