What is a wind farm

Wind Farms

Wind farms (WFs) are widely located offshore due to the high-energy harvest from the wind.

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Wind Farms

9.6 Reflection on Alternatives

Long term. Energy is one of mankind’s most basic needs and electrical energy is the most versatile and valuable form it takes. We are in transition from a carbon-powered economy to one powered in other ways but the detailed shape of the future is not yet clear. A distributed energy-mix in the economy is desirable. If the cost of fossil fuels continues to rise in the future as it has in the past the economic case for the farms becomes stronger, but if grid-scale energy storage becomes necessary to smooth intermittent power from wind the cost again rises. Interestingly, electric vehicles, if they become the norm, might partly solve this problem. On average a private car is used for less than 4% of the day; the rest of the day is available for charging. Introducing intelligent battery charging that draws on power when there is surplus generating capacity turns the grid itself into a virtual storage device.

The evidence suggests that wind farms can make a contribution to national power needs but that it is likely to remain small. The intrusion caused by farms on a scale that could provide, say, half the nation’s power appears to present very great problems. For now the dominant source power continues to be fossil fuels. Wind-farms can offer one, perhaps transient, contribution while striving for other ways to establish a supply of clean energy and manage demand more effectively.

Wind energy

Aesthetics

Newer wind farms have larger, more widely spaced turbines, and have a less cluttered appearance than older installations. Wind farms are often built on land that has already been impacted by land clearing and they coexist easily with other land uses (e.g. grazing, crops). They have a smaller footprint than other forms of energy generation such as coal and gas plants. Wind farms may be close to scenic or otherwise undeveloped areas, and aesthetic issues are important for onshore and near-shore locations.

Aesthetic issues are subjective and some people find wind farms pleasant and optimistic or symbols of energy independence and local prosperity. While some tourism officials predict wind farms will damage tourism, some wind farms have themselves become tourist attractions, with several having visitor centres at ground level or even observation decks atop turbine towers.

wind farm or windfarm Wind. an array or system of multiple wind turbines at a given site, used to capture wind energy for the production of bulk electricity for a grid. [So called because of the sense of “harvesting” wind as if it were a farm crop.] See next page.

wind farm A wind farm (often also called a wind park ) is a cluster of wind turbines that acts and is connected to the power system as a single electricity producing power station. Generally it is expected that a wind farm consists of more than three wind turbines. Modern wind farms may have capacities in the order of hundreds of MW, and are installed offshore as well as on land. Modern wind farms generally are connected to the high voltage transmission system, in contrast to the early application of wind energy for electricity production with wind turbines individually connected to the low-voltage to medium-voltage distribution system. Hence, modern wind farms are considered power plants with responsibilities for control, stability, and power balance. Thus, wind farms are required to contribute to the control of voltage, frequency and reactive power needs in the power system and stay on-line during less critical grid faults, and to help maintain the stability of the power system. While wind farm production cannot exceed the power given by the instantaneous wind resource, capabilities for regulating the power output at time scales consistent with the power system needs, powering up and down, are also included in order to assist with balancing and stabilizing the power system. Most of the other technical issues with wind farms are associated with the close spacing of multiple turbines. The close spacing implies that extraction of energy by wind turbines upwind will reduce the wind speed and increase the turbulence, which may cause reduced efficiency and higher loads on downwind turbines. Another technical issue for large wind farms is the grid connection and the integration into the power system. Large wind farms are very visible, especially at land and in coastal areas and this together with a number of environmental concerns, such as possible disturbance of migrating birds, play an important role in the wind farm planning process and can result in selection of sites with less than optimal wind conditions. However, good wind conditions are essential for the economics viability of any wind project, and methods for accurately predicting wind climates at specific sites worldwide are constantly being improved.

Erik Lundtang Petersen and Peter Hauge Madsen

Risø National Laboratory

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5.7.2 Offshore wind farms

The 11+ Biggest Wind Farms and Wind Power Constructions That Reduce Carbon Footprint

The human race is at a point in time where we look back and reflect on what we have done to this world.

The increasing pollution and contamination have got our world suffering in more ways than one. It is high time that we change to renewable sources of energy. Thankfully, countries all around the world have come to realize this common goal.

The wind is one of the unlimited sources of energy we have on earth. Now, we have built massive wind farms to harness wind energy that would otherwise go unused.

Here are some of the biggest wind farms that are making a significant difference in reducing carbon footprints:

Gansu Wind Farm, China

Pollution levels in China have soared in the last few years. According to WHO, more than 1 million Chinese citizens died prematurely as a result of the deadly airborne toxins. Hence, China has started investing in green energies to curb this situation.

The Gansu Wind Farm in China is the biggest in the world and is capable of generating nearly 7,900 MW. The sheer power generation is a resultant of 7000 wind turbines arranged in rows in the Gopi desert. This wind farm is also known as Jiuquan Wind Power Base.

Unfortunately, more than 60% of the farm’s capacity goes unused each year due to weak demand. The giant Windfarm is capable enough to power a small country and is expected to provide an output of 20,000 MW by the year 2020.

Muppandal Wind Farm, India

If you don’t know where the third-largest wind farm is situated, it’s in Tamil Nadu, India – The Muppandal Windfarm.

The wind farm has helped to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and will eventually lead to a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. The Government has plans to extend the initiative of clean energy to provide electricity for the villages in Tamil Nadu.

Roscoe Wind Farm, US

The Roscoe Wind Farm is located in Roscoe, Texas. It was once the world’s largest wind farm. The wind farm spread over 100,000 acres of land, and it can power about 265,000 homes easily!

For a fun fact, Texas produces more energy from wind than the combined efforts of the other 25 states in the US! The wind farm has about 627 wind turbines with the capacity to produce a combined total of 781.5 MW clean energy.

The construction of the Roscoe Wind Farm took place in four phases. The first phase in 2008 and consisted of 209 1 MW Mitsubishi turbines. The 2 nd phase was also completed in the same year and included 55 2.3 MW Siemens machines. The 3 rd phase was completed by mid-2009 and added 166 GE 1.5 MW turbines. And the last phase added 197 Mitsubishi 1MW turbines.

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Centre, US

Texas is famous for its wind potential. There are large spaces of privately owned land that makes investing in wind energy an attractive offer for landlords as well as investors.

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is the seventh-largest wind farm with a capacity of producing 735 MW of clean energy. The farm is distributed over an area of 100,000 acres in Nolan County and Taylor of Texas. The project has been operational since 2009. Completed in three phases, the farm consists of 421 turbines, including 142 GE 1.5 MW, 130 Siemens 2.3MW, and 149 GE 1.5MW wind turbines.

Jaisalmer Wind Park, India

The Jaisalmer Wind Park, located in the district of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, is the largest onshore wind park in India. The farm makes use of the wind from the Arabian Sea to produce clean energy of 1,065 MW.

The project uses a variety of turbines, as it is a mix of old machinery like the 350kW models to the newer S9Xs that are capable of producing 2.1MW of power.

London Array Offshore Wind Farm, UK

The London Array wind farm rest on the coast of the United Kingdom. The farm has 175 turbines, which produce 630 MW of clean energy, enough to power half a million UK homes. In terms of capacity, it is the largest one in Europe. The farm alone helps in reducing more than 925,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Having an offshore wind farm has some perks over onshore wind farms. One of them is the advantage of higher wind speeds available over the water compared to ground. Also, there is no restriction on boundaries. The only restriction comes in the form of depth at which the seafloor lies. This is why many countries are eyeing offshore wind farms as opposed to offshore ones.

Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, US

The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm spreads over 50,000 acres in Benton County of Indiana, United States. The wind plant is owned and operated jointly by the Dominion Resources and the BP Alternative Energy North America (each with a 50% stake).

With 537 wind turbines, the farm produces 750 MW of clean energy, which is used to meet the power consumption of about 200,000 American homes.

Gemini Wind Farm, Netherlands

Alta Wind Energy Center, US

National Renewable Energy Laboratory or NREL of the United States has released its verdict of green energy. A study made by the organization concluded that the US could make 80% of power from renewable energy sources by 2050.

The Alta wind farm energy center is an effort in this direction. It stands as the largest wind facility in North America and is located in the Tehachapi Mountains of California. The farm is also known as Mojave Wind Farm and is spread across an area of 3,200 acres.

The Alta wind farm has been providing renewable energy of 1,548 MWs to the SCE (Southern California Edison) for more than 25 years and is estimated to reach 3000MWs by the year 2040. The turbines have been installed at an altitude between 3,000ft and 6,000ft above the sea level.

Sweetwater Windpower, US

The Sweetwater Windpower is the 9 th largest wind farm in the world, located in the Nolan County of the United States. It has 392 GE, MHI, and Siemens wind turbines, which produce about 585.3 MW of electricity supplied to Austin Energy, CPS and others.

Operational since 2003, the farm is jointly owned by Duke Energy and Infigen Energy and was built in five phases added through 2007.

Buffalo Gap Wind Farm, US

The Buffalo Gap Wind Farm is the tenth largest wind farm in the world located in Texas. The 524MW wind farm was completed in three phases and made use of 155 GE 1.5MW turbines with windCONTROL system along with 74 Siemens wind turbine generators. The windCONTROL feature allows regulating voltage and power in real-time, supplying reactive power to the grid when needed to stabilize weak grids and regulate the system voltage.

Dogger Bank Wind Farms, North Sea

Breaking previous records, the world’s biggest offshore wind farm is opening at Dogger Bank in the North Sea and will be operational by 2023. It will begin powering no less than 16,000 British homes next year.

It is built as a joint venture between SSE and Norway’s Equinor. It is unique in using 12MW turbines with a height of 260m high, as opposed to traditional 8MW turbines. This will significantly reduce the operational costs of these farms.

Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm, Texas, US

Texas has many examples of the proper utilization of the state’s wind potential. The Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm is located in Sterling and Coke counties.

The farm has 342 GE 1.5MW wind turbines and 65 Siemens 2.3MW wind turbines, producing a total of 662.5MW that can power up to 220,000 households easily.

Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, UK

Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm is located in the Irish Sea, 19km off the shore of Walney Island, Cumbria.

It is partly owned and run Ørsted, with the Danish pension funds PKA and PFA collectively owning 50%. The project launched in September 2018.

It has 40 MHI Vestas 8MW wind turbines and 47 Siemens Gamesa 7MW wind turbines with a total capacity of 659MW, enough to power 600,000 homes in the UK. The electricity is transmitted using two 4,000t offshore substations.

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Wind farm

A 21st century windfarm in the California Central Valley

A wind farm in Spain.

Contents

Location planning [ ]

Wind speed [ ]

Map of available wind power over the United States. Color codes indicate wind power density class.

As a general rule, wind generators are practical where the average wind speed is 10 mph (16 km/h or 4.5 m/s) or greater. An ‘ideal’ location would have a near constant flow of non-turbulent wind throughout the year with a minimum likelihood of sudden powerful bursts of wind. A vitally important factor of turbine siting is also access to local demand or transmission capacity.

To collect wind data a meteorological tower is installed with instruments at various heights along the tower. All towers include anemometers to determine the wind speed and wind vanes to determine the direction. The towers generally vary in height from 30 to 60 meters. The towers primarily are guyed steel-pipe structures which are left to collect data for one to two years and then disassembled. Data is collected by a data logging device which stores and transmits data for analysis. Great attention must be paid to the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference of 30 m can sometimes double energy production.

For smaller installations where such data collection is too expensive or time consuming, the normal way of prospecting for wind-power sites is to directly look for trees or vegetation that are permanently «cast» or deformed by the prevailing winds. Another way is to use a wind-speed survey map, or historical data from a nearby meteorological station, although these methods are less reliable.

Wind farm siting can sometimes be highly controversial, particularly when sites are picturesque or environmentally sensitive (for instance, having substantial bird life).

Altitude [ ]

The wind blows faster at higher altitudes because of the reduced influence of drag of the surface and lower air viscosity. The increase in velocity with altitude is most dramatic near the surface and is affected by topography, surface roughness, and upwind obstacles such as trees or buildings. Typically, the increase of wind speeds with increasing height follows a wind profile power law, which predicts that wind speed rises proportionally to the seventh root of altitude. Doubling the altitude of a turbine, then, increases the expected wind speeds by 10% and the expected power by 34%.

Wind park effect [ ]

The «wind park effect» refers to the loss of output due to mutual interference between turbines. Wind farms have many turbines and each extracts some of the energy of the wind. Where land area is sufficient, turbines are spaced three to five rotor diameters apart perpendicular to the prevailing wind, and five to ten rotor diameters apart in the direction of the prevailing wind, to minimize efficiency loss. The loss can be as low as 2% of the combined nameplate rating of the turbines.

Environmental and aesthetic impacts [ ]

Nearshore and certain inland wind sites may have significant aesthetic impact, since the turbines are visible for great distances. However, both positive and negative impacts may occur. Some people find large wind turbines unsightly, whereas some wind farms have become tourist attractions. [6] [7] Wind farm siting must also consider impacts on wildlife, including migratory animals. Wind project proponents may face opposition from area residents concerned about sound level, light flicker, appearance, and the other impacts of wind turbine placement.

Development [ ]

To develop a wind farm, a suitable location is first identified. Good locations for wind farms should have fast steady winds and be near transmission lines. Land parcels on which wind turbines will be located then must be leased from the land owners. The wind resource must then be evaluated using data recorded by onsite meteorological towers. The wind farm project must then be financed and constructed.

Types [ ]

Onshore [ ]

Onshore turbine installations in hilly or mountainous regions tend to be on ridgelines generally three kilometers or more inland from the nearest shoreline. This is done to exploit the so-called topographic acceleration as the wind accelerates over a ridge. The additional wind speeds gained in this way make a significant difference to the amount of energy that is produced. Great attention must be paid to the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference of 30 m can sometimes mean a doubling in output.

Nearshore [ ]

Nearshore turbine installations are on land within three kilometers of a shoreline or on water within ten kilometers of land. These areas are good sites for turbine installation, because of wind produced by convection due to differential heating of land and sea each day. Wind speeds in these zones share the characteristics of both onshore and offshore wind, depending on the prevailing wind direction.

Offshore [ ]

Offshore wind turbines near Copenhagen

Offshore wind development zones are generally considered to be ten kilometers or more from land. Offshore wind turbines are less obtrusive than turbines on land, as their apparent size and noise can be mitigated by distance. Because water has less surface roughness than land (especially deeper water), the average wind speed is usually considerably higher over open water. Capacity factors (utilisation rates) are considerably higher than for onshore and nearshore locations.

In stormy areas with extended shallow continental shelves, turbines are practical to install.

The United Kingdom plans to use offshore wind turbines to generate enough power to light every home in the U.K. by 2020. [9]

Airborne [ ]

Airborne wind turbines would eliminate the cost of towers and might also be flown in high speed winds at high altitude. No such systems are in commercial operation.

Wind farm capacity [ ]

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Australia [ ]

Template:See also In 2007, there were 42 wind farms operating in Australia. Some of the largest wind farms in Australia are:

Brazil [ ]

Canada [ ]

The five largest wind farms in Canada are:

China [ ]

European Union [ ]

Main article: Wind power in the European Union

Germany has the largest number of wind farms in the world. Its installed capacity was 20,622 MW as of December 2006. The second country in capacity was Spain with 11,615 MW. The third was Denmark with 3,136 MW. Italy was in the fourth position, with 2,123 MW. [16]

India [ ]

Japan [ ]

Wakamatsu wind farm, Kitakyushu, Japan

A partial list of wind farms in Japan include:

A number of smaller projects are run by the Japan Wind Development Company, LTD.

New Zealand [ ]

South Africa [ ]

The first commercial wind farm in South Africa was opened on the 23rd of May 2008, near Darling in the Western Cape. The first phase consists of four 1.3MW turbines supplied by Fuhrlander, Germany. The total power generated estimated at 5.2MW will be put into the national grid at 66kV. It has taken the developer Herman Oelsner 10 years to achieve his dream of being the first private wind farm in South Africa. There has been enormous concerns regarding environmental and aviation some of which still need to be resolved. DWP (Darling Wind Power) will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the wind farm.

Additionally, Klipheuwel wind farm, the first wind farm in sub-Saharan Africa, comprises three turbines – a Vestas V66 with 1.75 MW output, a Vestas V47 with 660 kW output and a Jeumont J48 with 750 kW output, giving a total output of almost 3.2 MW.

United States [ ]

Aerial photo of a wind farm along the Allegheny Front in southern Pennsylvania

Three California wind «farms» arguably have greater combined capacity than the Stateline farm, but are actually collections of dozens of individual wind farms. The California farms have many different owners and turbine types and have been constructed, retrofitted and occasionally dismantled since they were first installed in late 1982. As of 2005, all three of these areas are seeing renewed growth. Primarily, the older and smaller wind turbines are being replaced with much larger, more efficient models. Some of the workhorses of the past were only 65 kilowatts (kW) in capacity or even smaller, though some were several hundred kW. Today, the smallest utility-scale wind turbines are about 700 kW, with a few models approaching 5,000 kW (5 MW). Secondarily, non-functional turbines are also being returned to service.

Even though California has some of the largest wind farms in the U.S., it does not have very many commercially viable wind farm sites, at least not onshore. Much of the Southwest is not much better, although there are some significant exceptions. The Great Plains states have an abundance of suitable sites for wind energy development [25] however the region’s potential is still largely untapped. Iowa and Minnesota are leading the Midwest in the development of wind energy with their combined capacities expected to reach 2,000 MW in 2007. The Pacific Northwest and the Northeast both have many excellent sites as well. In contrast, the Southeast has a very poor wind energy resource, though the Appalachian Mountains do provide a few good areas.

See also [ ]

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What Is a Wind Farm?

Have You Ever Wondered.

Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Marissa from Bay City, MI. Marissa Wonders, “How do wind farms work?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Marissa!

What do you think of when you hear the word “farm”? Animals? Vegetables? Tractors? Farmers? Would you believe there are farms without any of those things? It’s true! What are we talking about? Wind farms!

Wind farms are areas where many large wind turbines have been grouped together. They “ harvest ” the power of the wind. These large turbines look a bit like super-tall windmills.

A large wind farm can have hundreds of wind turbines spread out over hundreds of miles. The land between the turbines may be used for other purposes, such as regular farming. Some wind farms are also located near bodies of water. There, they take advantage of winds that blow across lakes or oceans.

Did you know that wind energy is actually another form of solar energy? Earth’s shape and rotation work with the Sun’s uneven heating of the atmosphere to make winds.

However, wind farms can cost a lot of money to set up. Over time, though, their cost is competitive with other types of generating systems. Unfortunately, you can’t make the wind blow whenever you want it to. That means wind farms can’t always meet electricity needs on demand.

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What Is a Wind Farm? | Wind Farms Pros and Cons | How Do Wind Farms Work?

What Is a Wind Farm? | Wind Farms Definition

With the cost of electricity continuing to rise, it makes sense that more people are investigating alternative sources of energy. While energy sources like wind farms and solar energy once seemed out of reach for the ordinary person, they are now becoming more mainstream and affordable.

However, many people are still unfamiliar with how wind farms work and wind farm pros and cons. While windmills are so everyday that people don’t think twice about them, wind turbines and wind farms are still outside of the norm. Therefore, we must first answer the question: what is a wind farm?

A wind farm is a location where several wind turbines are placed in order to generate electricity. A wind turbine is used to produce electricity, in contrast to a windmill, which uses physics to perform specific tasks like pumping water. When you combine several wind turbines in one place to capture the power of the wind, you have a wind farm.

Based on this wind farms definition, it’s clear that a wind farm isn’t for individual use but for large scale energy production. However, as we enter an age in which alternative energy is vital to our future, it’s still meaningful to ask the important questions, such as “What is a wind farm?” and “How do wind farms work?” The more we know about wind farm advantage and disadvantages, the better we will position ourselves for the future.

What Is a Wind Farm? | Wind Farm Basics

At last count, there are approximately 1,000 utility-scale wind projects or wind farms across the United States, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

There are over 49,000 wind turbines and more than 500 wind manufacturing facilities. An estimated 3.7% of the world’s electricity is now supplied by wind power, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.

What matters most when considering wind farm pros and cons is how effective they are at producing electricity. There are several factors that affect how wind farms work:

We will take a closer look at some of these features, as well as additional wind farm pros and cons. The important thing to realize is there’s a strong incentive for companies and individuals to investigate wind farm advantages and disadvantages and how best to put wind farms and wind energy to work for them.

What Is a Wind Farm? | How Do Wind Farms Work?

Before we can understand wind farm pros and cons, we must first have a basic grasp on how wind farms work. Since a wind farm is made from several wind turbines placed in one location, it’s important to know how a turbine operates and the principles of wind energy.

Wind energy is the process of using wind to generate some type of power. For centuries, wind has been used for simple tasks such as sailing and flying kites, and through the power of windmills to perform tasks like pumping water.

Wind turbines located on wind farms take the process further. A wind turbine converts the wind’s kinetic energy into electricity as the wind turns two or three blades around a rotor. The rotor then spins a generator to create the electricity.

Wind turbines also come in different sizes, depending on their use. The type of turbines that make up a wind farm have the largest blades and can generate 5,000-8,000 kilowatts of electricity. Smaller turbines for home use generate 10 kilowatts.

There are 2 types of wind turbines:

The horizontal-axis turbines are the ones most people are familiar with, which have three blades similar to a giant fan. Some of the largest turbines are:

Vertical-axis wind turbines are similar in appearance to large egg beaters. They are generally used for residential purposes and smaller wind projects as opposed to wind farm operations.

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Wind farm locations

How wind farms work largely depends on where they are located. Locations for wind farms are characterized by wind-power density classes based on wind resources. Wind speed is, of course, one of the most important factors in the classification system. Good wind resources for wind farms are where the wind speed is at least 13 miles per hour.

Another option for the location of wind farms is on the ocean. What is a wind farm when it’s located offshore? Basically, an offshore wind farm works the same way, except it utilizes the ocean wind, which tends to blow harder and more consistently than on land.

According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, just a few miles an hour of increased wind speed can produce significantly more electricity.

What Is a Wind Farm? | Wind Farm Pros and Cons

Wind farm pros and cons are similar in nature to other forms of alternative energy, but there are some wind farm advantages and disadvantages that are unique to the wind industry.

Wind farm pros:

Land owners who rent out their land for wind farms can make money. They can also make money by allowing the government to install wind turbines on their land.

When looking at wind farm pros and cons, it first appears that the advantages make the disadvantages null. However, there are some drawbacks.

Wind farm cons:

When looking closely at wind farms pros and cons, you can see that there are real concerns, despite all the advantages of utilizing wind energy.

What is a wind farm without enough wind? The fact that wind is not constant in certain locations means that not everyone can benefit from wind energy. Also, wind farms require a large amount of open area, which is not always available without the removal of trees and other foliage.

According to Energy.gov, the building of wind farms has the potential to reduce habitat for wildlife. Another concern is the spinning blades of the turbines pose a thread to birds and bats.

Though actual data of avian deaths is not readily available, there are ongoing studies on the effects wind farms have on wildlife.

An understanding of wind farm pros and cons in not complete without looking at financial concerns. Though costs are low once wind turbines are installed, up-front costs are a concern for anyone seeking to utilize wind energy.

Also, local zoning ordinances come into play. Due to height restrictions, wind turbines are not always feasible. People who live near wind farms also cite noise pollution issues, which are important to people looking at wind farms pros and cons.

When considering wind farm advantages and disadvantages, all these factors are important before deciding that wind energy is the best option for a city or for personal use.

What Is a Wind Farm? | Wind Energy for Personal Use

How do wind farms work for personal use? When utilizing wind energy for a home or small business, you will not have a wind farm but instead have one wind turbine.

Wind energy can:

Wind energy is a good fit for people who are:

Wind energy is a viable choice and should be considered along with solar power for consumers who are looking for alternative sources of energy to power their homes and small businesses.

What Is a Wind Farm? | Conclusion

After taking a close look at wind farm pros and cons, it is clear that the advantages of wind energy are numerous. There is a sense of excitement in the industry as it grows, particularly surrounding offshore wind farms.

The Department of Energy found that there are over 320,000 square miles offshore that have the potential to generate 4,150 gigawatts of electricity, according to Popular Science.

The next generation of wind technology aims to address some of the wind farm pros and cons, such as costs and capacities. Innovations include manufacturing turbines to allow them to collect real-time data, and other ways to maximize the power of the wind.

Between government subsidies and research, along with commercial development and innovation, wind technology is on the rise. Once you learn the wind farms definition and weigh out wind farm pros and cons, you may just decide that an investment in wind energy is a solid choice for your future.

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