Whether it is in the form of a candle to see in the dark or quantum mechanics to generate electricity, energy has always played a significant role in society. In today 's world, the technological advances allow for more efficient ways to generate, gather, and store electricity. Not only are some of these new advances more efficient, but they are cleaner for the environment. One of the clean energy phenomena that have significantly impacted the energy world is the advancement in wind turbines. Wind turbines are a clean source of energy that provides communities a source of power by sending the energy generated from the spinning blades to a power grid where the power is distributed to the consumers as needed. These machines can be found primarily
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Not only do these machines increase energy production, but they do so at a cheaper operating rate than a gas or coal driven power source. One factor that is taken into consideration when installing such a machine is the impact that these massive innovations will have on the economy surrounding them. As a general rule of thumb: everyone fears what they do not understand. In this case, these technologies have only been around a couple of decades and the designs and models are always being modified and improved. A problem or issue that has been brought into question multiple times is that the turbines will have an adverse impact on the economy that surrounds the wind farms. While this concern does seem to be a valid argument, in actuality, the opposite effect can be seen. According to NC Clean Technology Center and a research study that they conducted, it was found that wind turbines support local economies. An example from this study is in Indiana where “after the first 1,000 megawatts of wind farms, the state economy had seen an increase in 260 new jobs, $8 million in tax revenue, and $40 million in increased economic activity.” The construction of these farms led to an increase in around $570 million in business and created around 4400 temporary jobs [2]. From this data, the installation of the turbines improves the society …show more content…
These sources of energy are much better for the environment as a whole since some of the other methods of generation are coal and gas powered plants that release harmful emissions into the environment as well as operate in a much less efficient manner. As an engineer, efficiency is a factor that should more or less dictate the design of a product. If I am creating a power plant for a client, I will make sure that the turbines and compressor efficiencies are as high as they can be with the fuels provided. In doing so, the product is handed over to the client, and they can be confident that the investment that they have made will not falter on them sooner than it should. These kinds of considerations have gone into the design of these new wind turbines, and the effects in how they interact with the environment can be studied. For instance, one of the main arguments against installation for these wind farms is that they take up so much room. A study done in Indiana by the NC Clean Technology Center a few years ago found that the farms in fact only take up about 2-5% of the project area’s total acreage and the most space came from the access roads, so farming of crops can still take place near the wind farms [2]. The United States Fish and Wildlife Services brought up another concern for the turbines affecting the
Not only do these machines increase energy production, but they do so at a cheaper operating rate than a gas or coal driven power source. One factor that is taken into consideration when installing such a machine is the impact that these massive innovations will have on the economy surrounding them. As a general rule of thumb: everyone fears what they do not understand. In this case, these technologies have only been around a couple of decades and the designs and models are always being modified and improved. A problem or issue that has been brought into question multiple times is that the turbines will have an adverse impact on the economy that surrounds the wind farms. While this concern does seem to be a valid argument, in actuality, the opposite effect can be seen. According to NC Clean Technology Center and a research study that they conducted, it was found that wind turbines support local economies. An example from this study is in Indiana where “after the first 1,000 megawatts of wind farms, the state economy had seen an increase in 260 new jobs, $8 million in tax revenue, and $40 million in increased economic activity.” The construction of these farms led to an increase in around $570 million in business and created around 4400 temporary jobs [2]. From this data, the installation of the turbines improves the society …show more content…
These sources of energy are much better for the environment as a whole since some of the other methods of generation are coal and gas powered plants that release harmful emissions into the environment as well as operate in a much less efficient manner. As an engineer, efficiency is a factor that should more or less dictate the design of a product. If I am creating a power plant for a client, I will make sure that the turbines and compressor efficiencies are as high as they can be with the fuels provided. In doing so, the product is handed over to the client, and they can be confident that the investment that they have made will not falter on them sooner than it should. These kinds of considerations have gone into the design of these new wind turbines, and the effects in how they interact with the environment can be studied. For instance, one of the main arguments against installation for these wind farms is that they take up so much room. A study done in Indiana by the NC Clean Technology Center a few years ago found that the farms in fact only take up about 2-5% of the project area’s total acreage and the most space came from the access roads, so farming of crops can still take place near the wind farms [2]. The United States Fish and Wildlife Services brought up another concern for the turbines affecting the