Renewable energy and winds of change

Across the plains where there is open land, or across the seas where there is no land, the wind is able to move at high speeds. This is due to there not being any buildings or homes in the area to break it up. This is the perfect location for wind power to be generated and collected. 

The use of windmills to create energy has been around for a very long time. Of course these windmills were quite small compared to what is out there just to create the energy. Not all spaces are right for large windmills so they look for those where the wind constantly blows at a rate of at least 15 miles per hour. 

There are large windmills hundreds of feet high strategically gathered in these open areas. Each of the blades on the windmills requires a semi truck to haul it. They are then put into place with various pieces of construction equipment. They operate on their own but are closely monitored to ensure everything is working like it should on them. 

Even though it is a great deal of cost and work to get them installed, each one can last about 20-25 years. That means they are well worth the investment because they do not constantly have to be replaced. That really has been an encouragement for more of them to be put into use. 

The collection of wind power has proven to be so profitable in many small towns that some farmers and ranchers have given up those operations. Instead they are allowing various companies to place these windmills on their land and getting paid to do so. They do not have to do any of the work to maintain them and they are guaranteed to make money. 

With the high risk involved in the line of farming and ranching, it is understandable why so many of them do it. For those close to retirement age as well it just makes sense to be able to rely on a given income source. This is less stressful than hoping for a good crop in the field or that the price of meat does not decline on the market. 

Installing these types of windmills to generate the power though is fairly expensive. It is also a time consuming process due to the sheer size of them. When you see them from an airplane or driving down a main highway you will not realize just how enormous they are. On average they are approximately 200 to 250 feet from the ground. 

The largest wind turbine in the world is located in Hawaii. It is more than 20 stories high. Each of the blades on the windmills are the size of a full football field. Each of the turbines located here is able to produce enough energy to offer electricity for 300 homes in the area. 

If you get a chance though go drive into an area that features them so you can see with your own eyes how they really appear. In Iowa there are approximately 800 of them on what is know as wind farms. More than 200,000 homes are supplied with power from them. You will also find them in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, and Colorado. 

When you watch the turbines spinning you will notice they turn counterclockwise. As the wind blows the shaft is engaged which is connected to a generator. As the blades turn this generator will move the power created along to the locations on the grid. They are monitored and there is an emergency shut off for them as well. 

In the event of pending natural disasters such as a tornado, these turbines can give them more power to move on and to destroy everything in its path. By shutting them off that is not going to be the case. 

It can also prevent the blades from being damaged during such an event. With the cost of the windmills being so high, keeping them in good working condition is very important. In some areas tornadoes are a common problem so the windmills are constantly watched. 

Not everyone is a fan of these windmills though because they think they are an eyesore. They want to be able to gaze out their window and see the open land. Instead they are seeing tons of windmills. They also feel it takes away the romantic and tranquil feeling of the area. 

Yet when you have small towns that are struggling for their residents to make a living, the prospect of getting paid to let a company come in and place windmills in place to collect the energy is an answer to a pray. They would rather have money for food on the table than to have the wide open spaces. 

The amount of energy that can be produced this way will never be the same. It can be severely windy one day and only a gentle breeze the next. Even so, there is enough of it to make it worth the cost of getting all the equipment in place. It is worth it to be sharing the natural beauty of an area as well. 

Some of these turbines are also located in various bodies of water. It is believed that wind power could one day be responsible for about 50 percent of the energy we consume. There is still a great deal of research and development that must take place for it to happen. 

Yet it is very exciting to know such a renewable energy resource can be there for us. It can make us breath easier when we continue how much of our natural resources that we cannot replace continue to be consumed each and every day. 

The fact that it does not release anything negative into the environment is very important as well. The fact that here is not carbon dioxide and other gases going into the air as wind power is produced should mean a great deal to each of us. It means the air we breathe is healthier for us than it was before. 

The American Wind Energy Association has continued to work to get this type of renewable energy in place around the country. Many find it strange that other countries including Spain and Germany rely on it more than the United States does. However, with the positive aspects of it you can expect the volume of it used here to continue increasing annually. 

According to their estimates, we can create 1 � times the amount of electricity used annually in the United States based on the amount of wind that is out there daily on average. That is very exciting news and something that could really help us to preserve our natural resources to the best of our ability. 

There have been some animal rights groups pointing out that the spinning turbines on these windmills is seriously injuring and even killing various types of birds. To evaluate these claims there have been some studies in place. 

Efforts are being made to prevent this without reducing the effectiveness of the wind energy that is being produced. It is believed that these incidents are very limited though and that birds are not in any real danger due to the turbines out there creating energy.