Wind power

 

What is wind power?

Wind is a simple, clean source of renewable energy that can be used both on land and offshore. Wind turbines, which transform the force of wind into electricity, are typically organized in groupings called wind farms or wind parks. Although contemporary wind turbines may seem futuristic, they can be considered modern versions of windmills, except that traditional windmill designs typically produced mechanical power instead of electricity.

 

What are the advantages of wind power?

• no fuel costs mean stable prices for wind energy
• wind is one of the least expensive sources of power at the point of generation
• wind energy development creates manufacturing and technical jobs - more jobs per dollar invested than any other energy technology, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

 

The current state of wind power

The United States has more wind turbines installed than any other nation on earth, however, as a percentage of our electricity usage, many European nations are using far more wind. Wind energy usage in the United States grew fourfold between 2001 and 2007, and continues to grow rapidly every year.

 

Offshore wind

While most of Louisiana's landmass does not have impressive wind potential, several areas off our coast, especially Vermilion Bay, have strong wind potential. Though used widely in Europe, no utility-scale wind turbines have yet been installed off the coast of Louisiana or any other US state. Four residential-scale turbines are operating in Slidell on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain.

 

What are the advantages of offshore wind?

• winds at sea are typically stronger and more stable than on land, meaning that offshore wind turbines, if properly sited, are usually more productive
• larger wind turbines can be installed offshore than on land

 

The current state of offshore wind

As of March 2010, offshore wind farms have been proposed in Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island, and are being planned in New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts. One of the Massachusetts offshore wind farms, the Cape Wind Farm, received a construction permit in 2009.

Offshore wind turbines have been generating electricity in Europe since 1991, and widespread adoption of offshore wind in Europe provides an excellent example for the United States. 1,471 MW of offshore wind turbines currently operating in Europe generate electricity 70 –90% of the time.

Eight European countries have installed utility-scale offshore wind farms: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Additionally, China is constructing a 100MW wind farm, which Chinese officials expect to be operational this year. The United Kingdom currently produces the most offshore wind energy in the world, with Denmark in second place. Denmark gets the largest percentage of its electricity from wind, both onshore and offshore, of any nation – 20% as of 2007. France, Italy, Norway, Poland, and Spain plan to install offshore wind utilities by 2015. Experts generally credit energy policies favorable to renewable energy for Europe's advances in offshore wind and other renewables technologies.

 

More information:

The American Wind Energy Association
Commission of the European Communities Report on Offshore Wind (.pdf) - 2008