Wind Energy

Harnessing the power of clean, affordable, and renewable Wind Energy.

What is Wind Energy? It is the process of creating energy using the wind. Modern wind turbines capture the kinetic energy from the air and convert it to electricity. The wind passes over the blades and turns them (kinetic energy), the blades turn a shaft (kinetic energy to mechanical power), and the shaft turns the generator which generates electricity. Wind energy is part of renewable energy sources, which are under the category of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There are two major types of wind turbines: Onshore and Offshore, and under onshore we can build micro wind turbines as well, which can provide renewable energy to areas without grid access. Over the years, wind turbines are getting bigger and cheaper, and therefore the following projections for 2050 are reasonable and hopeful.

Visualizing the scale of wind turbines (NZ Wind Energy Association)

What can be the impact of Wind Energy? Wind energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy, emitting only 11 grams of CO2/kWh of electricity, as compared to 980 grams for coal and 465 grams for natural gas [5]. Therefore, assuming we replace 75% of all coal and natural gas with wind and solar by 2050, and use wind energy to replace 70% of the total 75% (i.e. 53% of all coal and natural gas [3]), we calculate that we reduce our emissions by 0.49 GtCO2/yr for coal, and 0.38 GtCO2/yr for natural gas, giving a total of 0.87 GtCO2/yr reduction! (These calculations can be found in the appendix.) A typical wind project repays it's carbon footprint in less than six months, allowing for decades of zero-emission energy [2]!

Don't wind turbines require too much land? According to various findings, an average of 0.56 Watts per meter [7] square can be taken, which yields an area of 27 million hectares (if we replace 53% of all coal and natural gas). While this seems like a huge number, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a big advantage is that a typical "wind farm leaves 98 percent of the land undisturbed, leaving it free for other uses like farming and ranching." Moreover, this number is true if we just employ onshore wind turbines. Offshore wind turbines are greatly growing, allowing us to reduce the amount of land used!

Are we ready to make this huge transition to wind energy? The Technology Readiness Level for Wind Energy is 9 (successful commercial deployment), and as we know, we already have numerous demonstrations of successful technology/implementation. In 2019, 7.1% of all US energy came from wind [3], which is the largest percentage in the renewable sector. Wind farms do not take very long to build; one small 10 MW wind farm can be built in 2 months, and larger 50 MW one in 6 months [8].

If we replace 53% of all coal and natural gas with wind energy by 2050, we can reduce up to 870 million tons of CO2 per year!

Don't we kill so many birds due to wind turbines? It is important to address that this is often used as an argument against deployment of wind energy sources; however, according to a 2013 study, wind facilities are responsible for about 0.3 fatalities per gigawatt-hour of electricity, while fossil-fuel power power plants cause 9.4 fatalities per gigawatt-hour. This being said, it is still crucial to consider ways in which we can reduce the harm to any species. For example, the "ABC suggests “bird-smart” wind-energy development that ensures turbines are sited away from bird-collision risk areas". This will be discussed more in detail in the policies section [4].

If wind energy has so many advantages, does it have wide social acceptance? According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans favor expanding renewable sources, and 85% support wind farms [10]! However, there are certain risks and hindrances which still bother some people. The risks include unsustainable metal mining practices, which can lead to a leakage of sulfur hexafluoride[9], which is a very potent gas, and the harm to bird life. Hindrances such as an alternate, more profitable use of the land, and noise & aesthetic pollution can cause troubles [1].

What are the proposed policies, and what do we suggest? Over the years, various policies have been introduced in the US to allow the growth of renewables, including wind energy. Some of these include [11]:

1. Production Tax Credit (PTC): "Mandates 2.1% tax credit/kWh of electricity generated in first 10 years of new renewables projects"

2. Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System: Allows numerous renewable electricity assets to be declared as depreciating rapidly. This indirectly reduces the tax burden on entities building renewable energy capacity.

3. Tax Credits, Grants, Rebates, Low-interest loans: Mostly all states provide some sort of financial benefit to assist renewable energy growth.

4. Public Benefit funds: "Several states tax electricity and use a portion of the tax revenues to fund a wide variety of projects and subsidies for renewable power."

Fluctuations in wind power deployment and correlation with PTC. Adapted from Wiser, 2008.

All these policies help to increase the deployment of wind energy, and other state policies like "100% renewable by 2045" in California push the companies even more to achieve their goals. We also believe that focusing on the following strategies can help in pursuing our goals even more [12]:

• Comprehensive Ocean Planning for Offshore Wind turbines

• Strong leadership which can drive progress

• Long term contracts for competitive proposals

• Streamlining the permit process

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References:

1. Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy. https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

2. Basics of Wind Energy. https://www.awea.org/wind-101/basics-of-wind-energy (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

3. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427 (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

4. Detz, J. Stop the Spin: Turbines Less Deadly Than Fossil Fuels. https://www.ecori.org/renewable-energy/2018/1/22/stop-the-spin-wind-turbines-kill-less-birds-than-fossil-fuels (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

5. Dolan, S. L.; Heath, G. A. Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Utility‐Scale Wind Power. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00464.x (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

6. Environmental Benefits. https://www.awea.org/wind-101/benefits-of-wind/environmental-benefits (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

7. How much land is needed for wind and solar farms? https://wernerantweiler.ca/blog.php?item=2020-04-30 (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

8. Wind energy frequently asked questions (FAQ): EWEA. https://www.ewea.org/wind-energy-basics/faq/ (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

9. Widger, P.; Haddad, A. (M. Evaluation of SF6 Leakage from Gas Insulated Equipment on Electricity Networks in Great Britain. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/8/2037/htm (accessed Dec 5, 2020).

10. Most Americans favor expanding solar or wind power; half or fewer support expanding fossil fuels. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/11/25/u-s-public-views-on-climate-and-energy/ps_11-25-19_climate-energy-00-02/ (accessed Dec 7, 2020).

11. Read "The Power of Renewables: Opportunities and Challenges for China and the United States" at NAP.edu. https://www.nap.edu/read/12987/chapter/7 (accessed Dec 7, 2020).

12. Polefka, S. State Policies Can Unleash U.S. Commercial Offshore Wind Development. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/09/18/439078/state-policies-can-unleash-u-s-commercial-offshore-wind-development/ (accessed Dec 7, 2020).