What is wind power?

Wind power is the fastest growing and least expensive renewable energy source. But exactly what is wind power and how is it transformed into energy? The wind is transformed into energy by way of turbines, which are basically modern day windmills that turn wind into electricity through electrical wind power generators. These turbines are either built in wind farms to augment national power grids or individually to serve a single residence power requirement.

What is wind power in relation to our dependency on fossil fuels? 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide pollution caused by power plants can be displaced by running a single turbine. And, as a natural and renewable resource, the global community is beginning to pay attention-- since 2000, wind power generation has quadrupled. The surge is attributed to the increasing savvy technology, rapidly falling turbine energy prices, and more consumers and concerned citizens actively seeking out facts about wind power and how they can implement this environmentally sound energy source into their own lives.

Other facts about wind power

Wind energy is misunderstood or disregarded by a number of people because there is some confusion surrounding it. For instance, opponents of wind power say that it is intermittent and unstable. Well, this is partially true. Wind turbines (wind power generators) are able to generate electricity over 95% of the time. What those anti-wind propaganda peddlers don't tell you is that this success rate is actually higher than the giant power plants we use. Since they require more maintenance, the highly polluting nuclear and fossil fuel-fired plants are often shut down due to an outage or maintenance. So, in terms of reliability, wind power seems to be the likely winner, considering it is free, unlimited, and the turbines are both less expensive to maintain and run than the big power plants.

To learn more about the exciting possibilities of this alternative energy, watch some of our videos online.