In the morning millions of Americans wakeup, make a fresh pot of coffee, and watch the morning news. A majority of Americans have no idea where the electricity comes from that supplies their everyday household appliances. It seems that electricity magically flows into homes form some unknown source. The face is that the production of electricity uses fossil fuels that are in short supply to operate the necessary equipment to make electricity. When this supply of fossil fuels runs out Americans will be sent back in the Stone Age because there will be nothing to power their technology. As a result, there will be an overwhelming demand for an alternative source of energy. Wind energy is a practical yet temporary solution to the energy crisis but is not the answer to alternative energy due to its unreliability.
Wind has been around since the beginning time and over the years it has made its way from a part of nature to a form of renewable energy. The use of wind for practical proposes dates back to the time of the ancient Egyptians. They designed their ships in a way that harnessed the wind to propel ships for greater efficacy. The idea of using wind a tool to do work lied doormat until years leading up to the industrial revolution. The pushes toward industrialization called for the use of an ancient tool to help them, the windmill.
The Dutch adapted a new method of the windmill and used it to drain lakes and marshes in the Rhine River Delta. In the late 19th century, this technology was brought to the New World by settlers who then pumped water to farms and ranches and later generated electricity for homes and industry. In Europe and later in America, industrialization led a steady decline in the use of windmills. However, it also sparked the development of larger windmills in order to generate electricity. These windmills became known as wind turbines which appeared in Denmark as early as 1890.
The interest in this type of renewable source of energy have fluctuated with the raise and fall of gas price, the harm of fossil fuels to the ozone, and the fact that our natural resources are run out rapidly. In light of the recent trend it oil prices and other political debacle that influence oil price; wind energy is a good solution for the time being.
The use of wind for energy is full of many benefits that can help lower energy emotions and make it a viable option. Energy was previously made by using fossil fuels to turn turbines and create electricity. This process is effective but it is using up the supply of non-renewable resources and is producing harmful smog. Wind energy however generates electricity and doesn’t release any harmful. This means it doesn’t use any non-renewable resources like natural gases, coal, or oil. Above all, wind energy is never ending resource, therefore power cuts and power failures are almost non-existent in areas that rely upon wind power to generate electric (“What” 1). The process of generating electricity is started when the wind turns the turbine thus creating kinetic energy that is stored in the windmills. “Theses windmills are essentially a type of generator that converts kinetic energy (motion energy) into electrical energy” (Duty 1). It then goes through a couple more processes and in the end electricity is produced. Its efficiency makes it one of the cheapest forms of energy on the market today. In a study taken in Montana, wind development produces cheaper electricity than Wyoming when measuring the cost at the production site. The cost per megawatt hour for was less; $77 in Montana and $82 in Wyoming (Joyce 1). With advances like this in a matter of years it can be use by anyone.
In addition to a way to provide an alternative from of energy, Wind energy has the potential to provide a revenue source for Americans. This applies to mostly people living in rural area of the country. Typically, in the rural parts of the country there are mostly farms and wide open area.