Energy Eden

Finding alternate sources of energy has become a priority throughout the world. One renewable source that is rapidly gaining popularity is wind power. If the power of the wind were used to its maximum potential throughout the world, we could generate more than 15 times the current world energy demand. Denmark currently leads the world in wind power, using wind to generate 20 of national electricity demands.In order to utilize wind to generate electricity, wind turbines must be installed in areas with the wind capacity to support them. One of the reasons this is becoming such a popular endeavor is because of the quick payback time. Wind conditions and other factors can contribute to variations, but a wind turbine usually creates enough electricity to pay for all of its costs within ten years. The appeal of this energy source is that it does not require any fuel and does not emit any pollution. Building wind farms requires very little energy, compared to the amount of energy they produce.Wind farms throughout the world are currently generating about 2 of the world’s energy. The US leads the world in installed, wind generation capacity, but it is providing less than 2 of our electricity. The top five states with the most wind energy potential are North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and Montana. The Roscoe Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in the world, located in Texas, with the capacity to produce 780 megawatts.Some animal activists have raised concerns over birds being killed by these large turbines, but most studies show that the number of animals harmed by a wind turbines pale in comparison with the amount of animals that are killed from pollution produced by fossil fuels. An additional concern is the appearance of wind farms, which some people see as an eyesore in beautiful countryside.