Could wind power be a viable alternative to conventional methods of power generation?
The UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair has recently said - "We are not going to be able to make up through wind farms all the deficit on nuclear power,"
Yet, if looked at from a slightly different perspective, wind power may already be a viable alternative - the link below is a web page where you can buy your own domestic wind turbine.
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9414908&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=wind+power&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1180379362679&isSearch=true
It produces around 1Kw at moderate wind speeds and costs around 1500GBP.
Okay, so it’s not cost effective, but it is a step along the road. The manufacturer and retailer must believe they have a market. If they have, the unit cost will fall as sales rise. Once competition gets hold, the performance of equipment from alternative suppliers will improve.
This and commercial wind farms still won’t meet the rising thirst for cheap energy. The real issue is – How do we get people to use less?
Let’s not forget that there are still coal reserves in the ground sufficient for between two and three centuries. The UK in recent decades has stopped mining coal on a national basis, yet the few mines that continued in private ownership are profitable and expanding. We now have the technology to produce much cleaner power from coal. Much the same could be said of other fossil fuels.
On a global scale nuclear power generation produced 366 Gw in 2005, wind power produced 74 Gw in 2006. Comparing one to other indicates that wind power has lots of ground to make up, but this is where the comparison falls down and fails to demonstrate the potential.
With conventional power production, coal, oil, gas and nuclear, the only interaction an individual may have is to say yes or no to the power production plans of a government. With wind power generation, the individual can produce private power and reduce his own demands on the grid.
There are over twenty-one million households in the UK. Imagine, if every residence produced 1Kw of power whenever the wind blew, the scale would be phenomenal. Around 21 Gw peak power.
May the power be with you…
The UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair has recently said - "We are not going to be able to make up through wind farms all the deficit on nuclear power,"
Yet, if looked at from a slightly different perspective, wind power may already be a viable alternative - the link below is a web page where you can buy your own domestic wind turbine.
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9414908&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=wind+power&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1180379362679&isSearch=true
It produces around 1Kw at moderate wind speeds and costs around 1500GBP.
Okay, so it’s not cost effective, but it is a step along the road. The manufacturer and retailer must believe they have a market. If they have, the unit cost will fall as sales rise. Once competition gets hold, the performance of equipment from alternative suppliers will improve.
This and commercial wind farms still won’t meet the rising thirst for cheap energy. The real issue is – How do we get people to use less?
Let’s not forget that there are still coal reserves in the ground sufficient for between two and three centuries. The UK in recent decades has stopped mining coal on a national basis, yet the few mines that continued in private ownership are profitable and expanding. We now have the technology to produce much cleaner power from coal. Much the same could be said of other fossil fuels.
On a global scale nuclear power generation produced 366 Gw in 2005, wind power produced 74 Gw in 2006. Comparing one to other indicates that wind power has lots of ground to make up, but this is where the comparison falls down and fails to demonstrate the potential.
With conventional power production, coal, oil, gas and nuclear, the only interaction an individual may have is to say yes or no to the power production plans of a government. With wind power generation, the individual can produce private power and reduce his own demands on the grid.
There are over twenty-one million households in the UK. Imagine, if every residence produced 1Kw of power whenever the wind blew, the scale would be phenomenal. Around 21 Gw peak power.
May the power be with you…
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