INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Renewable power generation can help countries meet their sustainable development goals through provision of access to clean, secure, reliable and affordable energy. Renewable energy has gone mainstream, accounting for the majority of capacity additions in power generation today. Tens of gigawatts of wind, hydropower and solar photovoltaic capacity are installed worldwide every year in a renewable energy market that is worth more than a hundred billion USD annually. Other renewable power technology markets are also emerging. Recent years have seen dramatic reductions in renewable energy technologies’ costs as a result of research and development (R&D) and accelerated deployment.
The development of wind
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In 2015, Egypt added 200 MW of new wind power, bringing the country’s total wind capacity to 810 MW. Egypt’s wind farms are located in three regions along the Red Sea coast: the biggest one is the 545 megawatt Zafar Ana wind farm consisting of 700 turbines; the 200 MW Gabal El Zayet wind farm was inaugurated in November 2015, and consists of 134 turbines; and the 5 MW Hurghada wind farm. By the end of 2015 South Africa had over 500 wind turbines producing a total of 1GW (Fried, et al., 2015).
By the end of 2015 the number of countries with more than 1,000 MW installed capacity was 26: including 17 in Europe; 4 in Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan & Australia); 3 in North America (Canada, Mexico, US), 1 in Latin America (Brazil) and 1 in Africa (South Africa). By the end of the same year eight countries had more than 10,000 MW of installed capacity including China (145,362 MW), the US (74,471 MW), Germany (44,947 MW), India (25,088 MW), Spain (23,025 MW), UK (13,603 MW), Canada (11,205 MW), and France (10,358 MW) (Fried, et al., 2015).
1.2 BACKGROUND
Zimbabwe has a low average annual wind speed of 3 m/s. Midlands has considerably higher wind speeds than the rest of the country, between 3m/s and 6m/s. This speed can be considered low for power generation (Hove, et al., 2014). The designs of industrial wind turbines on the market today work at wind speeds that are above the midlands average. Current turbine designs are not well suited for such
One of the fastest growing energy sources in the world, wind power is a globally advantageous renewable resource.
Imagine getting free electricity, or electrical company’s paying you instead of you paying them, today’s windmills just might make this possible. Windmills dating back as far as the 1400’s have been used to turn wind into useable energy for grinding and pumping. Today’s windmills turn turbines to make electricity. They are popping up all over the United States, but the United States is way behind other countries in the development of wind energy. Countries like Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom are investing billions of dollars into wind energy, including off shore wind farms. Germany is holding the top spot in the production of wind-generated electricity. Denmark, being one of the smaller countries in Europe, produces twenty percent
The big countries like US, Canada, Brazil, China and Germany still have the greatest renewable power generation capacity. These countries seem to rule when it comes to renewable energy source. For the first time, China’s new renewable power capacity has passed new fossil fuel and nuclear capacity. In the 2014 edition of the REN21 report it states that, while Europe and North America have become the top markets for renewable energy, other countries have seemed to pick up some of baggage and could also be the future leaders of it. REN21 has found so
Currently in the U.S. we rely on non-renewable sources to produce our energy such as oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Although these methods do well producing energy, they also have large down falls environmental, economically, and in other ways that fail to show a promising future. This makes it necessary that we adapt alternative renewable energy methods that do not have these effects, and can insure a promising future.
One of the most important ecological changes needed not only in this country, but globally would be the transition from fossil fuels and coal to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions, which in turn pollute the environment and contribute to adverse climate change. Even though renewable energy is able to regenerate, does not mean that it has no ecological footprint or that renewable energy is completely sustainable for our environment (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). A renewable source of energy is usually one that does require us to mine away at the Earth to receive the source of energy (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). Renewable energy is important for several different reasons. First, renewable energy has environmental benefits because it provides individuals with clean sources of energy and it reduces the impact that it will have on the environment (Why is renewable energy important?) Second, if we use renewable energy then we will have energy for future generations, such as our children and our grandchildren because renewable energy will never run out we will always have it, unlike other sources of energy that will eventually run out (Why is renewable energy important?). Third, renewable energy sources are important for the world’s economy and for jobs because the money that is spent on renewable energy in the United States will
In a growing world, electricity production is becoming a problem due to coal fired electrical plants releasing millions of gallons of greenhouse gases, ecological problems with pollution in water, and health risks concerning workers and people living nearby. But with new technology and advances in renewable energy sources, wind energy is becoming one of the most popular energy sources for many states.
• 2015 was expected to be the record year for global offshore wind deployments, with 3,996 MW on track to begin operations. In the first half of 2015, the industry commissioned 1,190 MW of this capacity, bringing the total current installed capacity to 8,990 MW worldwide. Approximately 96% of this capacity was installed in Europe, with the remainder installed in Asia. The cumulative global capacity was expected to reach 11,800 MW by year-end 2015.
“Worldwide, hydropower facilities possess a significant amount of installed electric generating capacity. IEA statistics indicate that at the end of 2001 there was in excess of 450,000 MW of installed capacity within IEA member countries, with about half in Europe and half in North America. In addition to conventional hydropower, there is more than 80,000 MW of installed pumped-hydro capacity in IEA countries. In contrast, utility-scale wind power is relatively new in the electric market, but increasing rapidly” (Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems)
The switch to clean energy in the United States and around the world is a difficult necessity that must be met within the subsequent five to six decades. The prolonged use of damaging fossil fuels and other unsustainable forms of energy are greatly damaging the planet. These sources of non-renewable energy are bound to run out in the following century. Millions of square kilometers of Arctic ice has melted so far, the sea level is rising, and the CO2 levels present in the atmosphere are drastically increasing (Chang). The transition to renewable energy must be met; however, this is not a process possible to achieve overnight. This change will require an extensive amount of resources and time but will reap many benefits to the users of this growing technology.
Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.
Offshore wind power has become a need of the hour in renewable energy production due to the rising prices of oil and continually increasing demand for a separate energy sector. Offshore wind has the prospective to deliver at least four times the current U.S. demand of energy, as per mentioned by the Global Wind Energy Council. However, there are many challenges and advantages that are significant for us to comprehend.
We are facing an energy crisis on Earth. Burning fossil fuels are harming the atmosphere; this global warming and affects produces chemicals that hurt our body. People are starting to think about using alternative energy. Wind power would be our first choice, because it’s clean, inexhaustible and renewable. Today, wind power is mainly used in Europe. We believed wind power would be the main source of alternative energy for world use.
Journal: Walter F. Deal, 2010, ‘Wind Power: An Emerging Energy Resource’, Technology and Engineering Teacher, pp. 9-15, viewed on September 12, 2011, retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/853062621/fulltextPDF/13255EC175479D10C7A/1?accountid=42518
“A wind turbine is a machine for converting the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy”. (1) The inventor of the first electric wind turbine was Clevelander Charles Brush, who ran his entire Euclid Avenue mansion off of one for 20 years, which later made the cover of Scientific American in 1888. (2) Although the use of alternate energy didn't rise a great deal afterward, this event did open the eyes for many environmentalists. Wind power is only one of our several “energy source[s] whose ‘fuel’ is free and will never be exhausted” (3) with the pros and cons not completely weighed out as to whether it will be truly beneficial or not. The two main issues regarding wind turbines are the environmental effects that they have and the
Wind energy has been growing quickly due to its many advantages, two that I believe make the largest impact are how cost effective it is and that it is a completely clean source of energy. It is one of the most cost-effective energy sources, only about $0.02 to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour (1,000 watts per hour),