Wind Energy

Valerie

 

·        How long have we used wind energy?

 

·        How did we use wind energy?

 

·        What are some of the advantages?

 

·        What are the disadvantages?

 

        Since early-recorded history, people have been harnessing the energy of the wind. Wind helped push boats along rivers and seas, simple windmills in China were pumping water, and windmills with woven reed sails were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East.

 

New ways of using the energy of the wind eventually spread around the world. By the 11th century, people in the Middle East were using windmills mainly for food production.  The Dutch refined the windmill and adapted it for draining lakes and marshes. In the late 19th century, windmills started to pump water for farms and ranches, and later, they started to generate electricity for homes and industry.

 

Industrialization, first in Europe and later in America, led to a gradual decline in the use of windmills. The steam engine replaced European water-pumping windmills.  However, industrialization also sparked the development of larger windmills to generate electricity. Called wind turbines, they appeared as early as 1890.

 

Today, wind energy is the world's fastest-growing energy source and will power industry, businesses and homes with clean, renewable electricity for many years to come.

 

Pros:

One of the advantages of using wind energy is that it is renewable, so we can use it for many years.  In breezy areas, we can produce a good amount of energy.     

 

Cons:

Some of the disadvantages of wind energy is that sometimes, there is little wind, and some birds like places with strong winds, so when they fly towards the strong wind, SPLAT! Not the best thing that bird lovers want to see.