Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. As of 2020, hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year.[1] Wind turbines are an increasingly important source of intermittent renewable energy, and are used in many countries to lower energy costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. One study claimed that, as of 2009, wind had the "lowest relative greenhouse gas emissions, the least water consumption demands and the most favorable social impacts" compared to photovoltaic, hydro, geothermal, coal and gas energy sources.[2]
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Wind turbine spacing
On most horizontal wind turbine farms, a spacing of about 6–10 times the rotor diameter is often upheld. However, for large wind farms distances of about 15 rotor diameters should be more economical, taking into account typical wind turbine and land costs. This conclusion has been reached by research[94] conducted by Charles Meneveau of Johns Hopkins University[95] and Johan Meyers of Leuven University in Belgium, based on computer simulations[96] that take into account the detailed interactions among wind turbines (wakes) as well as with the entire turbulent atmospheric boundary layer.
Recent research by John Dabiri of Caltech suggests that vertical wind turbines may be placed much more closely together so long as an alternating pattern of rotation is created allowing blades of neighbouring turbines to move in the same direction as they approach one another.[97]
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Comparison with other power sources
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Advantages
Wind turbines is one of the lowest-cost sources of renewable energy along with solar panels.[113] As technology needed for wind turbines continued to improve, the prices decreased as well. In addition, there is currently no competitive market for wind energy (though there may be in the future), because wind is a freely available natural resource, most of which is untapped.[114] The main cost of small wind turbines is the purchase and installation process, which averages between $48,000 and $65,000 per installation. Usually, the total amount of energy harvested amount to more than the cost of the turbines.[115]
Wind turbines provide a clean energy source,[116] use little water,[2] emitting no greenhouse gases and no waste products during operation. Over 1,400 tonnes (1,500 short tons) of carbon dioxide per year can be eliminated by using a one-megawatt turbine instead of one megawatt of energy from a fossil fuel.[117]
Disadvantages
Wind turbines can be very large, reaching over 260 m (850 ft) tall with blades 110 m (360 ft) long,[118] and people have often complained about their visual impact.
Environmental impact of wind power includes effect on wildlife, but can be mitigated if proper strategies are implemented.[119] Thousands of birds, including rare species, have been killed by the blades of wind turbines,[120] though wind turbines contribute relatively insignificantly to anthropogenic avian mortality. Wind farms and nuclear power plants are responsible for between 0.3 and 0.4 bird deaths per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity while fossil fuel power stations are responsible for about 5.2 fatalities per GWh. In comparison, conventional coal fired generators contribute significantly more to bird mortality.[121] A study on recorded bird populations in the United States from 2000 to 2020 found the presence of wind turbines had no significant effect on bird population numbers.[122]
Energy harnessed by wind turbines is variable, and is not a "dispatchable" source of power; its availability is based on whether the wind is blowing, not whether electricity is needed. Turbines can be placed on ridges or bluffs to maximize the access of wind they have, but this also limits the locations where they can be placed.[114] In this way, wind energy is not a particularly reliable source of energy. However, it can form part of the energy mix, which also includes power from other sources. Technology is also being developed to store excess energy, which can then make up for any deficits in supplies.[123]
Wind turbines have blinking lights that warn aircraft, to avoid collisions.[124] Residents living near windfarms, especially those in rural areas, have complained that the blinking lights are a bothersome form of light pollution.[124] A light mitigation approach involves Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems (ADLSs) by which the lights are turned on, only when the ADLS's radar detects aircraft within thresholds of altitude and distance.[124]
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