Energy Sources
Wind
Facts
Wind turbines are becoming increasingly efficient, producing greater amounts of electricity. Today’s massive 40-50 story turbines convert kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical energy while leaving plenty of room on the ground for farming or other activities. Some wind farms are being built offshore where wind is more powerful and consistent. Utilities, policymakers and developers are discussing the construction of “infrastructure pipelines” to connect urban areas with rural areas that are better suited to producing wind power, like the Great Plains of the U.S.
Source: "Fueling the Future - Better Ways to Use America’s Fuel Options," Consumer Energy Council of America, May 2006
Overview
Wind capacity increased by 29% in 2008 and now makes up about 3% of global energy production. The U.S. leads the world in total installed capacity with over 25 gigawatts. China more than doubled its installed wind capacity in 2008. Currently 95 countries use wind energy on a commercial basis.
Source: World Wind Energy Association; available: http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/worldwindenergyreport2008_s.pdf
Europe has the most installed wind capacity of any continent, with 61.3% of the world total. However, North America and Asia are quickly catching up; by 2015 Europe’s share is expected to drop to 45.8%.
Global Wind Energy Council
Source: “International Energy Outlook 2010.” Energy Information Administration
Wind accounts for 25% of Denmark’s total installed capacity, 18% of capacity in Spain, and 17% in Germany.
Source: WorldWatch Institute; available: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6102?emc=el&m=239273&l=5&v=ca5d0bd2df; Updated with 2008 data from EIA
The World Wind Energy Institute predicts that wind could provide as much as 12% of the world’s electricity generating capacity in 2020. However, the EIA is less optimistic in its forecasts, suggesting that wind will account for just 6.3% of total electricity generating capacity in 2020.
Source: World Wind Energy Association; available: http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/worldwindenergyreport2008_s.pdf
Worldwide potential wind energy is equal to approximately 40 times annual global energy consumption.
Source: “Study Suggests Wind Power Potential is Much Higher than Current Estimates”; New York Times; available: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/study-suggests-wind-power-potential-is-much-higher-than-current-estimates/
In the U.S., potentially harvestable wind energy in the lower 48 states is approximately 16 times the amount of energy consumed in the country every year.
Source: “Study Suggests Wind Power Potential is Much Higher than Current Estimates”; New York Times; available: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/study-suggests-wind-power-potential-is-much-higher-than-current-estimates/
The world’s first large-scale prototype floating wind turbine—the 2.3 MW Hywind prototype—began operations in Norway in 2009. The turbine is located 10 km off the coast where the water depth reaches 220 metres. Floating wind turbines can help overcome some of the challenges that face conventional offshore turbines located near the coast, including the visual impact and the conflict with fishing and other coastal activities.
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency
Engineers are investigating the feasibility of airborne wind systems. In theory, turbines could be suspended thousands of feet above the ground at altitudes where there is almost constant wind. Power would be sent to the ground via transmission cables. There are currently no operating airborne wind systems.
Source: Wired.com; available: http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/multimedia/2005/04/67121
Almost 2,800 GW of gross renewables capacity could be added if the $5.7 trillion that is forecast to be invested worldwide in renewables-based generation by 2035 is realized. More investment goes into wind power than any other renewable source, including hydropower. A total of $1.8 trillion is expected to go towards building facilities that will provide over 1,200 GW of wind power (including replacement of existing facilities), while investment in hydropower and PV will also be significant, at $1.7 trillion and $1 trillion, respectively.
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency
According to the IEA, the cost of wind electricity is expected to decrease by around 25% between 2010-20 and 2021-35.
Source: Electric Power Research Institute
Local residents have sometimes decried plans to build a wind farm in coastal waters. They feel that the turbines spoil their oceanfront views and property values. Nevertheless, the first offshore wind farms in the U.S. were approved in the state of Massachusetts in 2010 with broad support from local residents.
Source:”Changing tides in offshore wind.” Renewable Energy World, October 2010. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/10/changing-tides-in-offshore-wind
In order to distribute power generated from offshore wind farms to Northern Europe, construction of a major offshore grid will be required. The UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Ireland all endorse the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid initiative, which facilitates co-operation in the development of the necessary grid infrastructure in the North Sea.
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency
Wind: Opportunities
Wind power picking up.
Technological and manufacturing advances have driven down the cost of wind power, making it one of the fastest-growing sources of energy. Wind power has grown swiftly over the past decade, from 11 gigawatts of net installed capacity at the beginning of 2000 to 121 gigawatts at the end of 2008, and is projected to grow to 277 GW by 2015.
Source: “International Energy Outlook 2010”; Energy Information Administration
Wind power is an intermittent energy source: it can only work when the wind is blowing. In order to overcome this intermittency, solutions from both the supply side and demand side must be considered. Traditionally, expensive fossil fuel-fired power plants had to provide the back up to intermittent resources such as wind and solar. In the future, demand side solutions will be available where demand is reduced to accommodate this intermittency. New storage technologies will also be available.
Wind as a real solution to CO2 emissions.
If the United States obtained 20% of its electricity from wind energy, it would prevent the emission of 7,600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2030 and reduce cumulative water consumption in the electric sector by 8%, or 4 trillion gallons.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy; available: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_ad.html
Wind: Challenges
Wind energy limited by the current power grid
The current power grid in the United States does not have the necessary capacity to transmit wind energy from where it is generated to urban centers where the demand lies. Building the grid will require a significant investment of resources to take full advantage of the wind energy potential in the United States. The 2009 federal economic stimulus package includes funds to update and improve the national grid to better take advantage of renewable sources of energy like wind.
Source: “Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits” New York Times; August 26, 2008
Source: “Stimulus Funds to Speed Transformation to “Smart Grid”; Wall Street Journal; available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125409459487544787.html
Wind power’s limitations.
Because winds can be intermittent, a high use of wind power can pose problems for power grid stability and will need to be backed up by other types of generation.
Source: American Meteorological Society