In The News

Harnessing Power from the Wind

Abstract

In the U.S., renewable energy resources—biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind—provide nearly 30% of total electrical generating capacity. Together they comprise the largest portion of electrical generation using clean energy. One notable trend is to use wind turbine generators with larger capacities and higher efficiencies in new and existing wind farms. This means that fewer machines are required to generate the electricity needed.

This article discusses the status of wind power in the U.S. and the primary ways wind energy is harnessed to generate electricity. The growth of the U.S. wind farm developments is limited by technical, economic, maintenance, and developmental challenges. The author reviews the mechanics of wind turbines and compares the potential efficiencies of vertical axis and horizontal axis wind machines. The article considers the importance of making onsite operational performance assessments after prototypes have been placed into operation. The author concludes that there are opportunities and potential for further growth in the U.S. wind power industry that will drive innovation and expand generation capacity.

Introduction

Wind power is a renewable energy resource which offers many important benefits. Wind power provides mechanical capabilities and generates clean electricity. Unlike other forms of electrical generation, it coexists with agricultural and other land uses. Wind power is becoming more economically competitive when compared to fossil fuel-fired means of electrical generation. The wind’s kinetic energy, used to create the electricity needed by consumers in rural areas, is delivered at no cost by natural processes. The development of wind farms creates local employment, provides revenue, and increases the property tax base in rural areas. Perhaps more importantly, using locally available wind resources in some regions offers the lowest cost means of producing electricity. Wind power is viewed by many as a strategic solution to help meet environmental and sustainability objectives. This is because harvesting wind power does not produce air pollution nor emit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To yield the greatest returns, wind turbine generators (WTGs) require optimum site selection. Even so, under the best of circumstances WTGs are an intermittent renewable energy technology. Overcoming the problem of variable electrical generation when base load power is required remains a problem for the wind power industry. When siting solutions are inadequate, this issue can often be resolved by interconnecting to a host electric grid, using energy storage to smooth the power produced, or by developing microgrids to satisfy variable loads.

The U.S. has both onshore and offshore wind farms. While landbased wind farms have different requirements depending on the site, offshore wind power developments often deploy the newest, tallest, and most efficient turbines [1].

Read the full article here.

This article was originally published in the International Journal of Strategic Energy and Environmental Planning (IJSEEP Vol. 7, Iss. 4, 2025) by Stephen Roosa.

In The News

Harnessing Power from the Wind

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