Wind energy, which is powered by wind turbines in ridge-line areas where wind is abundant, is considered sustainable, green power because there is no fuel required to power the turbines and there is no pollution emitted from the turbines.
One example, close to us Virginia Tech students, is right down the road at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where a 100 kilowatt, community-scale wind turbine was installed on campus. This wind turbine can generate electricity for ten to fifteen households in the South per year. The president of the Wind Division of Alteris Renewables, Bob Chew, says, "with installation of this wind turbine Appalachian State has sent a strong message about the importance of fighting climate change." We need to start putting more efforts into renewable resources and energy and I think that what ASU has done is great for the Boone community in leading the way to a green area. There are actually schools all over the United States that have installed wind projects or are in the process of planning and developing wind projects.
The North Carolina Wind Energy at Appalachian State has a public service program called the North Carolina Small Wind Initiative, where their goal is to show the public how wind energy can benefit the southern Appalachian region and how it can be done in a sustainable way.
Many people, however, are against wind energy, such as the Keepers of the Blue Ridge. This group is attempting to stop the wind industry from "destroying" the ridge tops of the Appalachia.
I believe that the wind energy can be a great stepping stone for renewable energy. Wind power is green because there are no greenhouse gases or pollution emitted in the process. It is a sustainable resource; there is no fuel to power the turbines and wind is infinite, it will always be there. As technology is improving, wind energy is becoming more affordable. Wind energy can be a great way for communities to power their homes and businesses and to provide jobs for the locals.
Wind energy can really benefit society if it is done correctly and I hope that it catches on and will lead people to other renewable and sustainable power sources.
Your example of the Appalachian State wind turbine was very interesting. I have wondered many times why we at Virginia Tech, an engineering school, have not sought the installation of wind turbines on or around campus. From my experiences Blacksburg is a very windy place and I would assume there is a great potential for wind energy use and generation, as well as what can be learned through studying the benefits and engineering of turbines. With the research grants that this university gets every year it is shocking that we have not looked into this alternative energy use for campus both for power generation and education. Ultimately, I believe there is much that Virginia Tech can gain from the establishment of wind power, and I would love to see it a part of our future.
ReplyDeleteThe example from Appalachian state is really neat. I think this is a great idea. I know this is a very small turbine, and have actually seen videos of the turbine and how loud it actually is. This makes me wonder what a community sized turbine would sound like, or even a wind farm. I support this idea of clean energy, and wind turbines are a great idea, but from seeing and hearing how loud they can be it makes me hope that engineering will further their development!
ReplyDeletehttp://myefficientplanet.com/27217/appalachian-state-university-wind-turbine-the-screaming-weasel/