Getting Wind Energy to your Home

Although not unique to wind energy, electricity that is generated from wind may have to travel long distances to reach the place where it is needed, such as your home or school.

BENEFITS

Wind energy offers many significant benefits, which include:

• Wind is a sustainable energy source and widely available.
• Wind energy is clean; it does not pollute the water or air.
• Harnessing wind energy is essentially free. After the initial investment, the wind's energy is virtually free.
• Wind turbines can be located in many regions, such as along coasts, and in areas that are already used for traditional farming.

CHALLENGES

There are challenges to using wind energy, which include:

• Wind is not constant. It is intermittent and varies greatly, hour by hour, day by day. This can cause issues in terms of meeting supply and demand.
• Wind farms have an audible impact. The spinning blades generate noise. Additionally, birds and bats can be killed by flying into the moving blades, but thousands more are killed by flying into buildings.
• Wind farms also have a visual impact. Some people complain that they are not aesthetically pleasing while others prefer their appearance over other types of power generating facilities.
• Good wind farm sites are often far from the main electrical grid.