Wind Energy Facts

Wind power, also known as wind energy, is power derived by harnessing the kinetic energy of wind and converting it to electricity. One of the most promising alternative energy sources, wind energy is pitched as the energy of the future. The belief that wind energy can replace fossil fuels as the most important source of energy for mankind is based on several wind energy facts which seem to be quite promising indeed. Wind power works on a simple concept, wherein wind rotates the blades of a wind turbine and this rotation of blades powers the generator which produces electricity. There also exist quite a few advantages of wind energy, and when we talk about its advantages, the fact that it is inexhaustible and environmental friendly source of energy deserves a special mention.

Interesting Wind Energy Facts 2010

Did you know that every single megawatt (MW) of wind energy produced adds US$1 million towards economic development. This, and more of such wind energy statistics have a crucial role to play when it comes to development of wind energy to meet global energy requirements. Going through the compilation of wind power energy facts given below will give you some fascinating information about this energy source.

• According to wind energy facts and figures compiled in 2008, the United States is leading producer of wind power in the world followed by Germany, Spain and China.
• The picture was quite different in 2005, when Germany and Spain were leading producers in the world, and 55 percent of the total wind power generation was attributed to the European nations.
• Wind power generation in the United States has increased 13 fold from what it was in 2000, and this surge has played a crucial role in propelling the U.S. to the number one position in terms of wind energy production.
• As many as 46 of the 50 states of the U.S. have the potential of harnessing wind energy to generate electricity.
• In the United States, Texas is the leading producer of wind power, followed by states like California, Minnesota, Iowa and Washington.
• A total of 71 billion kW-hrs of wind power was produced in the United States in 2009. Even though it was a mere 1.8 percent of the total energy produced for that year, it did provide electricity to 6.4 million households in the country.
• While North America and South America combined constitute for approximately 17 percent of the global wind power generation, 98 percent of the same is attributed to North America alone.
• As of 2008, approximately one-third of the global wind power generation was attributed to Asia. China is the leading Asian nation in terms of total wind power produced, followed by India in the 2nd position. By 2020, China is expecting to achieve a target of 100 GW of energy.
• Even though Denmark is on the 9th position in terms of wind energy generation, wind energy constitutes a whopping 20 percent of the total energy requirements of this country.

Wind Energy Facts for Kids

While the wind power facts mentioned above were interesting, it would be too much to expect the kids to make sense of the intricate details provided in them. If we are to make good use of this source of energy in the future, we can't afford to keep our kids ignorant about its importance. That being said, we have compiled some general facts about wind energy which kids will be able to grasp easily, and enlisted them below.

• One MW of power produced by tapping wind energy can provide electricity to around 250 to 300 households with ease.
• In order to convert wind energy to electricity, the average wind speed has to be 14 miles per hour.
• If wind energy is used to its full potential, we can reduce carbon emissions by one-third in the United States, and 4 percent in the entire world.
• Approximately 80 percent of the total investment in the development of wind energy comes from construction of wind turbines.
• With a total height of 650 ft, and rotor diameter of 126 m (413 ft), the Enercon E-126 is the largest wind turbine in the world and has a capacity of generating 20 million kW-hrs of power per year.
• The Roscoe Wind Farm, located in the state of Texas, is the largest wind farm in the world. With 627 wind turbines to its credit, the Roscoe Wind Farm has a total installed capacity of 781.5 MW.

While these wind energy facts and figures sound promising, we also need to take the various advantages and disadvantages of wind energy into consideration in order to assess its feasibility in different regions. While the previously existing issues, such as excessive noise and bird mortality, have been resolved, issues such high investment can turn out to be hindrance in the development of wind energy.