WIND ENERGY - UNIT 4

Can wind energy replace electricity power stations?

C. Wilson (2017)

There has been much debate recently concerning the importance of sustainable energy and whether it can replace existing coal and nuclear fired power stations. Sustainable energy is defined as a source of energy that is renewable. It is infinite and will never run out unlike unsustainable sources such as the fossil fuels of coal, oil and gas and the mineral uranium used in nuclear power stations. The main sources of sustainable energy are solar, wind and hydro which are plentiful on the earth and innovative technology has been developed to harness these natural sources. This essay will investigate one of these sources; wind energy, which uses the wind turbine to produce electricity, and will discuss the main positives and negatives associated with this using wind.

There are many key advantages to utilizing wind energy to produce electricity. The main advantage is that it is a renewable energy source, which is freely available. The second most important point is that wind energy is non-polluting source of energy. Thus, wind turbines produce no greenhouse gases. In addition, wind energy would help governments meet their targets in preventing climate change. The final key consideration is wind energy is cost effective. So although the initial set up costs are relatively high for the materials and construction of a wind turbine, once in place the maintenance costs are low and a turbine can run for 100 years, unlike coal or nuclear power stations which can only operate for approximately 35 years.

Unfortunately, wind energy has a number of significant flaws that need to be addressed to understand how this renewable source of electricity production could be implemented into a greener looking society. Firstly, is the subject of reliability. It is impossible to predict when the wind will blow, at what times and at what strength. As a consequence, this creates a serious in failing to meet peak demands usually in the mornings and evenings. This takes us to the second serious issue that there is no storage system for excess electricity produced. If a wind farm produces too much electricity, it cannot be stored so often wind turbines are turned off. At this present moment, there is no technological development in how this energy can be stored. There needs to be areas where giant sized batteries can be stored that can absorb additional energy. The final problem is noise and visual pollution. The majority of people in the U.K. want renewable energy and more wind turbines but not near where they live. These people are called NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard). This is perfectly understandable as wind turbines are noisy as they rotate and big wind farms ruin the natural landscape, making the countryside look mechanized. One solution is to put the wind turbines in the sea around the coasts of the U.K.

Overall, wind energy as a source for electricity production could be a future solution for the diminishing fossil fuels, a cleaner source of energy and reduced economic costs. However, there are serious limitations such as the reliability of wind, where to build wind farms and the inability to store electricity.

All in all, societies need to integrate renewable energy for a greener less polluting society.