Will Wind Farms Ever Become an Efficient, Large-Scale Source of Energy?
Viewpoint: Yes, wind power is already the fastest-growing source of renewable energy in the world, and economic trends, technological advances, and environmental concerns will eventually transform it into a large-scale contributor of energy.
Viewpoint: No, wind power will not be a large-scale contributor of energy because wind doesn't blow sufficiently everywhere and doesn't blow all of the time.
Wind exists because Earth rotates and has an irregular surface—variable terrain, bodies of water, plants, and trees—and because the Sun heats the atmosphere unevenly. With the right equipment, energy produced by wind flow can be harvested and used to generate electricity.
As early as 5000 B.C., people used wind energy to move boats up and down the Nile. In 200 B.C., people used simple windmills to pump water in China, and vertical-axis windmills to grind grain in Persia and the Middle East. By A.D. 1000, Mid-Easterners used windmills extensively to produce food.
Over time the Dutch refined windmill technology and used more powerful wind turbines to drain lakes and marshes. Wind turbines convert kinetic wind energy to mechanical power that can be used to grind grain or pump water, or be converted to electricity.
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