WIND ENERGY
According to be British Wind Energy Association "the UK is the windiest country in Europe, so much so that we could power our country several times over using this free fuel". It is said the UK alone has 40% of Europe's wind energy resource. Wind turbines should be harnessing the full potential of this renewable energy source.
Wind energy is pollution-free and land around the turbines can be farmed. There is no waste and it does not contribute to acid rain or global warming.
The British Isles and Ireland are situated in an area of the temperate low pressure belt. This area is where air of tropical origin meets air originating from the Arctic. This meeting of air from different sources explains the variable nature of Britain’s weather. The result is that winds are strong, steady and reliable in most areas. In Ireland and Scotland, however, winds tend to be gusty with momentary changes in wind direction.
Strong winds form when warm air meets colder air. This causes a depression and the resulting change in atmospheric pressure produces flows of air or wind. Due to the Coriolis effect these clockwise blowing winds often originate from the South West. This is normally the prevailing wind direction.
Further reading can be found here:
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/solutions/renewable-energy
The History of Wind Power
| Around 900AD | First known windmills used in Asia to pump water and grind grain. Windmills may well have been used earlier than this. |
| Around 1100 | Windmills come into use in Europe. |
| 1400s | Windmills first used to drain wetlands so they can be used for farming in Europe. |
| 1592 | First wind-driven sawmill invented in the Netherlands |
| 1854 | Daniel Halliday of Connecticut, USA invents a windmill that turns to face changing wind directions and controls its own speed. |
| 1888 | First wind power plant opens in the United States. |
| 1891 | Poul la Cour of Denmark develops modern wind turbine. |
| 1931 | French inventor G.J.M. Darrieus invents a new kind of wind turbine called the Darrieus Turbine. |
| 1941 | Biggest windmill ever built is put up in Vermont, USA. Its blades are 53 metres (174ft) long. It's the first use of wind energy on a large scale. |
| 1970s | Renewed interest in wind power in Europe and the United States because of oil shortages. |
| 1974 | American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) founded to encourage use of wind energy. |
| 1980s | First wind farms are developed in the United States and Europe. |
| 1981-1990 | About 17,000 wind turbines operate in California, USA. |
| 1984 | Canada builds the world's largest wind turbine. |
| 1990s | India develops wind turbine programme. |
| 1991 | The worlds's first offshote wind farm opens off the coast of Denmark. |
| 2003 | 70% of the world's energy use is in Europe due to laws supporting its use in Germany, Denmark and Spain. Germany leads the world in wind energy produced. In Denmark, 20% of all energy is produced by wind. |
| 2007 | Bahrain World Trade Center includes wind turbines in the building design. |
| Today | Companies are developing sails for cargo ships; research continues to make even better wind turbines. |
