THE ROLE OF AIRBORNE WIND TURBINES IN ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
In partnership with increasing concern over the condition of the global environment, engineering has taken on a more constructive perspective on using modern technology to manipulate many of the renewable resources provided by nature. Wind, for example, has emerged in conjunction with rapid advances in turbine technology as a more reliable electrical energy tap for industry. Using massive propeller blades and an electrical generator to convert wind currents into more usable forms of electricity, wind turbines have the capacity to provide clean, long-lasting energy sources to industrializing communities around the world [X].
While the process of converting wind energy into electricity …show more content…
Perhaps the most major issue of wind farms lies not in damaging the environmental landscape, but in the thousands of bird and bat species that die each year by flying into wind turbines. According to a study published in PLOS ONE, an estimated “214,000 to 368,000 small perching birds are killed by turbine blades each year” [6]. Naturally, this has become a common concern for wildlife activists in areas where wind energy farms are highly popular, such as the Western United States. On top of this concern for the local wildlife, many residents who live near ground windmills complain of the structures’ general ugliness and bothersome “whooshing noise” created by the propeller when it is rotated by the wind …show more content…
In response to the increasing concern over wildlife near wind farms, the BAT is positioned far above the migratory paths of birds, reaching up to heights over 1,000 ft. above the ground [X]. Not only does this provide a new safe zone for endangered species living in the vicinity of wind farms, but it better preserves the natural habitat by using up less land space.
As demonstrated in Figure 3, the BAT soars at altitudes far above even the largest of traditional ground windmills. This also fixes the problem of the wind turbine’s structural conspicuousness and noisiness for local residents. In deterring these environmental issues caused by ground windmills, airborne turbines also capitalize on greater wind speeds and wind power density at higher altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere. This maximizes the efficiency and energy capacity of BATs, resulting in a higher electricity production rate from one machine [X].
Harnessing Wind Energy and Potential Impacts on Future
In partnership with increasing concern over the condition of the global environment, engineering has taken on a more constructive perspective on using modern technology to manipulate many of the renewable resources provided by nature. Wind, for example, has emerged in conjunction with rapid advances in turbine technology as a more reliable electrical energy tap for industry. Using massive propeller blades and an electrical generator to convert wind currents into more usable forms of electricity, wind turbines have the capacity to provide clean, long-lasting energy sources to industrializing communities around the world [X].
While the process of converting wind energy into electricity …show more content…
Perhaps the most major issue of wind farms lies not in damaging the environmental landscape, but in the thousands of bird and bat species that die each year by flying into wind turbines. According to a study published in PLOS ONE, an estimated “214,000 to 368,000 small perching birds are killed by turbine blades each year” [6]. Naturally, this has become a common concern for wildlife activists in areas where wind energy farms are highly popular, such as the Western United States. On top of this concern for the local wildlife, many residents who live near ground windmills complain of the structures’ general ugliness and bothersome “whooshing noise” created by the propeller when it is rotated by the wind …show more content…
In response to the increasing concern over wildlife near wind farms, the BAT is positioned far above the migratory paths of birds, reaching up to heights over 1,000 ft. above the ground [X]. Not only does this provide a new safe zone for endangered species living in the vicinity of wind farms, but it better preserves the natural habitat by using up less land space.
As demonstrated in Figure 3, the BAT soars at altitudes far above even the largest of traditional ground windmills. This also fixes the problem of the wind turbine’s structural conspicuousness and noisiness for local residents. In deterring these environmental issues caused by ground windmills, airborne turbines also capitalize on greater wind speeds and wind power density at higher altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere. This maximizes the efficiency and energy capacity of BATs, resulting in a higher electricity production rate from one machine [X].
Harnessing Wind Energy and Potential Impacts on Future