Shallow Dive: Wind Power 🌬️
Easy Breezy Electricity
Last week, we dove into solar power. This week, wind!
For thousands of years, humans conjured up creative ways to take advantage of the wind’s power…from ship sails that unlocked transportation by sea to windmills to grind grain for food.
We’ve come a long way since then. Today, we harness the wind to produce electricity at scale.
Advancements in Wind Energy
Over a century and some decades ago, the first wind turbine for electricity generation was created in Europe.
Today, wind is the largest source of renewable energy in America, accounting for 10.2% of our electricity. Wind energy avoided 348 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2023. This amount will only grow as wind power adoption continues to scale.
What does wind-generated electricity look like today?
Onshore Wind Farms: An array of wind turbines on land, often placed in remote or rural areas.
Offshore Wind Farms: An array of wind turbines placed in the sea, with piles drilled down into the ocean seabed.
Domestic Wind Power: Small wind turbines placed on rooftops or out in rural fields. Often used for small-scale residential or commercial use.
When it comes to wind farms, bigger is better. The larger the blades, the greater the power generated. Larger wind turbines = less wind turbines required to produce the same amount of power. This means that there is less land or sea area required for farms. It’s wild to imagine 800-foot turbines seemingly floating out in the ocean, but that is where we are today.
The Dutch Case Study
Like anything natural, there are limitations. Wind is not equally distributed around the planet. A great example is Denmark. Denmark only receives 37% of the total possible sunlight in a given year. On the flip side, wind and shallow waters are in ample supply (see map).
The Dutch are long-time pioneers of harnessing the wind’s power. They built the world’s first offshore wind farm back in 1991 and continue to be a leader in the renewable realm today. Currently, 46.8% of their energy comes from wind.
Denmark-based Ørsted is a leading global wind developer. Known for building the world’s first and world’s largest offshore wind farms, they are at the forefront of this tech. They recently developed the U.S.’s first offshore wind farm out in Long Island, setting the precedent for more offshore wind farms in America to come.
What are the cons?
The wind isn’t always blowing (and the sun ain’t always shining), and large-scale power storage from renewables is in its infancy. We will continue to rely on predictable means of electrical production (burning fossil fuels) until we can be 100% reliant on renewables (if ever).
Another large downside is what happens when wind turbines go out of commission? Like anything else artificial, wind turbines won’t last forever. What do we do with the massive turbines when we deconstruct them?
Some Cool Companies in the Wind Space
Carbon Rivers: Carbon Rivers upcycles the fiberglass from wind turbines to produce new turbines.
Aeromine: Like rooftop photovoltaic panels, Aeromine’s wind units sit atop flat roofs. Rather than generate power from a rotating turbine, wind passes through a cavity and amplifies the air flow..thereby producing energy. Their quiet, motionless design is an elegant solution for owners looking to utilize their existing real estate for renewable energy.
Shine: Wind power on the go. Shine is a portable wind turbine designed to power handheld electronics. Geared towards campers and homeowners who are looking for supplemental power source.
Next week, we’ll shallow dive into biomass!
this post....blew me away! Thanks for your research!