The Giant - Wind Energy
When I first heard about windmills, it was in the context of the great classic Don Quixote, the bumbling (yet courageous)
hero who does battle against the perceived giants, the windmills.
But now, Don Quixote, Move Over! Not only are the
windmills now our friends, but they power our lives as well through wind power. Part of the family of alternative energy,
wind power is one of the most powerful.
What does Wind Energy have to do with The Power of One?
It is always a good idea to have
renewable energy education in the classroom so we can learn from a very early age about
how our lives are affected by technology and science. There are other renewable energy resources such as biofuel, water
energy, solar energy, and even geothermal energy. However, let's focus on a specific type called wind energy.
Wind energy is just one of the natural powers that Mother Nature provides.However, it is one of the most powerful energy
sources in nature. It was found by the Energy Department that three states of the fifty states in the United States can
power all of America. This means America can be powered by six percent of its land!
Is there such a thing as Good Windmills?
The benefits of wind energy to help power our lives are boundless. As stated before, not only is wind energy one of the
most powerful, it is also the cheapest out of all the energy sources. Many farming communities enjoy having a field of
windmills near their areas because it allows the farmers and ranchers to share the income. It also provides employment
for those who need work, supplies electricity with little cost, and helps the tax revenue to help build schools and keep
the roads in good conditions. Wind energy is also complimented for the lack of pollution and deadly waste material.
Its
resources are renewable and wind power does not use the disappearing supply of fossil fuels. It also does not produce
any chemicals dangerous to our health. Besides saving the earth's fossil fuels, wind energy also has long term potential.
Many countries are realizing the power of the wind. The leading countries that are harnessing wind power include Germany,
Spain, India, Denmark, and the United States of America.
Location! Location! Location!
Finding a location for windmills is a very important job. One must consider the amount of wind in a region and the
strength of the wind blasts. It also has to be in a semi-rural area so the windmills do not obstruct anybody.
It is found
that the wind speed has to go as fast as 12.5 miles per hour in order for energy to be harnessed by the windmills.
Of course, that is the minimum speed required. However, one has to be careful about placing windmills because it would
be horrible if there were violent bursts of wind (like tornadoes) in the area since the windmills would be destroyed.
The best place for a wind generator is considered to be a location where the wind has a constant flow of non-violent
winds and would not have sudden gusts of wind. As a result, most windmills are placed in certain Western or Midwestern
regions in the United States of America.
Oh, Useful Wind Energy....
Not only is wind a great power source to provide electricity and heat for our lives, it can also be a wonderful topic for
creative science fair
projects. There are many
renewable energy science fair projects that will help
promote the learning about renewable energy.
Some project ideas could include a demonstration on how to build
a windmill to harness wind energy, defining wind and the effects it has on daily situations or events, or even a step by
step, detailed explanation on how the windmill harnesses energy from the wind. These ideas are only a few of the project
ideas involving wind. Wind has so many useful properties, no wonder we cannot live without it!
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