Power by wind

By: Tonya Buddie

Posted: 11/9/09

Wind turbines are an increasingly common structure to help our fight against global breakdown. They are massive, standing 280ft from base to center and another 111ft when a blade is at full peak. They are magnificent displays of today's advanced engineering. Others may not share this same feeling. Of course, with this new technology, comes both positive and negative aspects that affect our daily lives.

One negative is that wind turbines are not as reliable as some other sources of alternative energy. Wind turbines up north, for example, produce power about 33 percent of the time with the highest output averaging around 1.5 mega watts per hour and spiking occasionally about 1.7 mega watts per hour. But, these results are totally dependent on the weather which is very unpredictable.

Another problem may be the poor aesthetics of the structure. Being so big, some would argue that they are an eye sore and, when running at full capacity, can be quite noisy. Personally, it does not bother me to have a wind turbine on my land as long as it is placed in the back. I mean, lets face it, we have been dealing with power lines for years and it isn't reasonable to put all power lines underground. Everyone needs power; it is just taking on a different appearance.

Some positives include the increasing number of job opportunities. Again, referring to the turbines up north, there are about one person per ten turbines to take on general maintenance and upkeep. Today, there are about 268 towers and a plan to install more is in the works. Each turbine provides power for up to four homes, which may not seem like much, but it is clean energy (there are no emissions). Also, it does not take long to install; a structure can be installed in about one day, this is without considering curing time for the foundation.

Overall, wind turbines may seem like they don't leave a huge impact on providing clean power, but we have to start somewhere. They're interesting to look at. And, if you are going into engineering work, like myself, it certainly increases your appreciation of such efforts.

You can find more information about wind turbines at the following website: http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/index.htm.