Wind
The power of the wind has been harnessed for centuries from the first sail boats to the windmills of Amsterdam. The total wind power across the land mass of the earth is around 1.7 million TWh. However owing largely to competing land useage the available wind power is only 53,000 TWh/y. This is still a significant figure some 3 time the annual global requirement and it is a resource that is broadly distributed across the globe
Regional Wind Resources (1991)9
Environmental impact
Wind turbines do not emit any harmful pollutants or require the storage of any hazardous materials but they do come with their own environmental impacts. One way in which they impact is the noise that the generate. This noise is generate in two ways. Forstly the mechanical noise and secondaly the aerodynamic noise. Wind turbines are large impsoign structures and to some people they constitue a blot on the ladscape. It is hard to quantify this environmental impact as it is a completely subjective issue. One other issue is that the turbines can change the localized climate10
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As wind turbines a re large structures there is a carbon cost associated with their construction. On average a wind turbine will release 7 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh when compared with the average of 964 for coal this is minimal and as more and more renewable sources are used this figure will drop.
While there is some concern over the safety of avian popuations near wind farms it seems that birds quickly learn to avoid these structures
A final concern is that the wind turbine can interfere with electromagnetic radition
Costs of Wind power
The cost associated with wind power is around 1000 euro per kW. This cost varies depending on how much wind you have available for generating power.
Inherent disadvantages
Wind like other renewable resources is inconsistent. Historical data and weather patterns can only tell you so much. Like hydroelectric power if the wind stops electrical production stops which makes it no ideal for base laoding. This potential interruption in electrical output can be mitigated by the use of pumped storage in areas where there is ready access to a water supply though this adds to the cost and the carbon output of the wind farm