Wind power
hideWind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2008, worldwide nameplate capacity of wind-powered generators was 121.2 gigawatts (GW). Wind power produces about 1.5% of worldwide electricity use, and is growing rapidly, having doubled in the three years between 2005 and 2008. Several countries have achieved relatively high levels of wind power penetration, such as 19% of stationary electricity production in Denmark, 11% in Spain and Portugal, and 7% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland in 2008. As of May 2009, eighty countries around the world are using wind power on a commercial basis.
Large-scale wind farms are connected to the electric power transmission network. Smaller turbines are used to provide electricity to isolated locations. Utility companies increasingly buy back surplus electricity produced by small domestic turbines. Wind energy as a power source is attractive as an alternative to fossil fuels, because it is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and produces no greenhouse gas emissions; however, the construction of wind farms (as with other forms of power generation) is not universally welcomed due to their visual impact and other effects on the environment.
Wind power is non-dispatchable, meaning that for economic operation all of the available output must be taken when it is available, and other resources, such as hydropower, and standard load management techniques must be used to match supply with demand. The intermittency of wind seldom creates problems when using wind power to supply a low proportion of total demand. Where wind is to be used for a moderate fraction of demand, additional costs for compensation of intermittency are considered to be modest.
For more information about Wind power, read the full article at
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News tagged with wind power
Harnessing the power of salt, Norway tries osmotic power
17 hours ago |
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After wind, sun, currents and tides, a company is preparing to make clean electricity by harnessing another natural phenomenon, the energy-unleashing encounter of freshwater and seawater.
China harnesses mountain wind power
Nov 22, 2009 |
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In the mountains above the southwestern Chinese town of Dali, dozens of new wind turbines dot the landscape -- a symbol of the country's sky-high ambitions for clean, green energy.
United States becomes world leader in wind power
Aug 24, 2009 |
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Aggressive investments in 2008 helped the United States surpass Germany to become the world's leader in wind power, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy.
China wind farms sprout amid 'green' energy push
Aug 11, 2009 |
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As Deng Hui looks out at a forest of towering turbines dotting his company's wind farm north of Beijing, a cold, drizzly wind howls in his face, but he doesn't mind.
Wind power may have its own environmental problems
Jul 05, 2009 |
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Wind power generation is expected to be a clean and environmentally friendly natural energy source, but a new kind of environmental problem has surfaced as infrasonic waves caused by windmills are suspected of causing health ...
Wind + water = untapped energy: An abundance of power exists above Earth's oceans, study finds
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Wind energy over the planet's oceans is a vastly underutilized renewable resource, according to UC Irvine researchers.
China aims to build 'Three Gorges of wind power'
Jun 25, 2009 |
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China is aiming to build a huge wind farm in the northwest by 2020 that will have energy capacity similar to the gigantic Three Gorges Dam, a senior official said Thursday.
Kites flying in high-altitude winds could provide clean electricity
Jun 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- At any moment, the winds in high-altitude jet streams hold roughly 100 times more energy than all the electricity being consumed on Earth, according to a study by Stanford environmental and ...
Is the sky the limit for wind power?
Jun 15, 2009 |
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In the future, will wind power tapped by high-flying kites light up New York? A new study by scientists at the Carnegie Institution and California State University identifies New York as a prime location for exploiting high-altitude ...
Not so windy: Research suggests winds dying down
Jun 10, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The wind, a favorite power source of the green energy movement, seems to be dying down across the United States. And the cause, ironically, may be global warming - the very problem wind power seeks ...
Report examines limits of national power grid simulations
May 07, 2009 |
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America's power grid today resembles the country's canal system of the 19th Century. A marvel of engineering for its time, the canal system eventually could not keep pace with the growing demands of transcontinental transportation.
China triples wind power capacity goal: report
May 04, 2009 |
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China has more than tripled its target for wind power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2020, likely making it the world's fastest growing market for wind energy technology, state press said.
Europe's biggest wind farm planned in Sweden
Apr 06, 2009 |
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Plans to build the biggest wind farm in Europe are underway in Sweden after winning approval from a local county administrative board on Monday, officials said.
Researchers evaluate highway rest areas for wind power
Mar 20, 2009 |
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Illinois is the Prairie State and home to the Windy City. And sometimes, when standing out in that prairie and feeling the wind racing across the state, you begin to wonder if there is anything between here and Kansas that ...
Intelligent use of the Earth's heat
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Feb 27, 2009 |
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Geothermal energy is increasingly contributing to the power supply world wide. Iceland is world-leader in expanding development of geothermal utilization: in recent years the annual power supply here doubled ...
