A Change For The Better
9:56 PM
Wind power, electricity generated by capturing the wind's energy with modern wind turbines, is one of the lowest-cost, renewable electricity alternatives currently available. Wind power is a clean, domestic electricity resource that has seen a tremendous amount of growth and technology improvement over the past several years.
Utility-scale wind farms can provide rural areas with significant investment and offer farmers new sources of revenue by opening their land to new energy development, while at the same time allowing present farming activities to continue virtually unchanged.
Utility-scale wind farms can provide rural areas with significant investment and offer farmers new sources of revenue by opening their land to new energy development, while at the same time allowing present farming activities to continue virtually unchanged.
NextEra Energy Resources (traded on the New York Stock Exchange - Symbol: NEE), has proposed a wind energy project in Marshall and Fulton Counties. NextEra is the largest wind generator in North America with 85 facilities currently in operation. The proposed project will produce clean, affordable energy for the region while placing no demands on local schools and other services. Wind farms are also compatible with existing land use, preserving rural nature and agricultural use. Fossil fuels on the other hand are dirty, dangerous, finite, and leave irreparable damage to the landscape.
The electricity consumed in Marshall County currently comes from the following sources: 72.9% coal, 22.3 nuclear, 2.9 gas, 0.3 oil, 0.6 hydro, 0.5 non-hydro renewable. Rising demand, volatile prices and national security concerns have created a need for a more diverse energy supply. Fortunately, we have the technologies right now to begin our transition to an energy system powered by clean, renewable energy sources. Wind plays a major role in the increasing demand for electricity. It’s abundant and has the potential to provide nearly 10 times the country’s existing power needs. Wind power fosters rural economic development, and energy price stability (by sidestepping fossil-fuel price volatility). The transition to renewable energy, coupled with improved energy efficiency, will create new jobs, decrease our exposure to toxic pollutants like mercury, and help to stabilize changes in the climate.
The US Department of Energy estimates that wind alone can power 20 percent of the US grid within 10 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that with the right policies in place, renewable energy can supply up to 43% of energy in 2030 and 77% by 2050. Together with improved energy efficiency, we could be well on our way to a zero carbon world.
The U.S. is making progress, but there’s much work left to do. In 2010, renewable energy accounted for just 10.9% of our energy production, but that was an increase of 5.6% over 2009. In the same period, China increased renewable energy by 13% over the previous year and is leading the world in the installation of wind turbines. Wind is homegrown, free, clean, and abundant, it’s time to cash in on this energy source.
NREL, Wind Resource Potential, 2010
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