Harnessing the energy of wind requires an outlay initially as installing a windmill is an expensive affair. It takes a few years before you get returns and you start making profits. Once you start reaping profits the ongoing expenditures of maintaining it is small.
The primary advantage of harnessing wind power is it is environment friendly as it does not degrade the environment. Since wind is free, once installed, windmills will provide service for many years. As windmills function only with the force of the wind there is nothing used for producing energy.
Do not be surprised in case you see personal windmills in the backyard to meet the energy requirement of the home. When windmills get more and more efficient, smaller models will hopefully be produced, therefore anyone living in high wind blowing area will be able to meet the requirement of energy on their own and apparently sell the excess energy to various power companies.
Wind energy is derived from the thin blades of the wind turbines. They function the best when installed near the sea or on mountains regions where wind is more. 1.5 to 3 megawatts is the typically output of each turbines. The faster the movement of the wind the greater is the output of the turbines. Therefore they are unsuitable on downside places where wind blows intermittently.
Wind energy has the potential to provide greater benefits, but this will be evident with evolution in technology. Wind energy it is estimated in the long run can supply more than 5 times the global energy that is currently consumed. Although currently, wind energy caters to less than just 1% of the energy requirements of the world, it will continue to grow and influence in the future.
Wind energy does not pollute the environment and cause climatic changes by emitting methane and carbon-di- oxide like fossil fuels. This again will bring about improved health condition for the people the world over. Polluted air is often the cause of asthma, stroke, heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.
Using wind energy wherever possible will help conserve other non-renewable resources. Wind energy will not deplete as it gets renewed each day with the heating and cooling of the earth. The cost incurred in building wind turbines can be recovered quickly. Additionally, it does not require much land therefore one can continue using land the way it was done prior to its installation.