The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
In the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by Bryan Mealer and William Kamkwamba, wind energy is effectively used. Windmills are a great way to produce clean energy from the wind, however, lots of Americans don't like windmills. They argue that windmill ruin the landscape, they are too expensive, and they only work when the wind is blowing. Here are some counter arguments to their complaints: "Windmills ruin the landscape." Unlike solar panels and other clean energy sources, windmills can be very large and unnatural looking. That's why there are designated wind farms. A wind farm is a place, usually out in the middle of nowhere, where hundred of windmills are grouped together. They are very common in the midwest and Pacific coast of the
US. Wind farms are even more beneficial than single windmills because they produce immense amounts of energy. Wind farms are often used for agricultural purposes, but they can be used for virtually anything. "Windmills are too expensive." While at first windmills may seem costly, wind energy is less expensive than fossil fuels in the long run. Plus, the more windmills are made, the more the production cost will go down. The average household spends $2,248 on heating their house with oil in the winter. The price of a windmill large enough to power a house starts at $10,000, but that’s for life. If a family invested in a windmill, after just six years, the costs of wind energy and oil would break even and wind energy would actually be less expensive. “Wind energy only works when the wind is blowing.” That’s not necessarily true. Wind energy can be stored and used later. There are two methods of storing wind energy. It can be stored into battery or another, more complicated method. It’s called Compressed Air energy Storage (CAES). Basically, as the turbine spins, it compresses air into containers which can later be released to create power. As you can see, wind energy is a really effective clean energy source. We have nothing to lose by using wind energy. It’s not only good for the warming world, but also economically. Wind energy could be a big step in solving problems all over the world. Next time you see a windmill, forget about how ugly it may look, but think about the true beauty it holds as it harnesses the wind.
US. Wind farms are even more beneficial than single windmills because they produce immense amounts of energy. Wind farms are often used for agricultural purposes, but they can be used for virtually anything. "Windmills are too expensive." While at first windmills may seem costly, wind energy is less expensive than fossil fuels in the long run. Plus, the more windmills are made, the more the production cost will go down. The average household spends $2,248 on heating their house with oil in the winter. The price of a windmill large enough to power a house starts at $10,000, but that’s for life. If a family invested in a windmill, after just six years, the costs of wind energy and oil would break even and wind energy would actually be less expensive. “Wind energy only works when the wind is blowing.” That’s not necessarily true. Wind energy can be stored and used later. There are two methods of storing wind energy. It can be stored into battery or another, more complicated method. It’s called Compressed Air energy Storage (CAES). Basically, as the turbine spins, it compresses air into containers which can later be released to create power. As you can see, wind energy is a really effective clean energy source. We have nothing to lose by using wind energy. It’s not only good for the warming world, but also economically. Wind energy could be a big step in solving problems all over the world. Next time you see a windmill, forget about how ugly it may look, but think about the true beauty it holds as it harnesses the wind.