Use of Wind Energy in the United Kingdom as a Renewable Source

Wind as an energy supply is an inexhaustible resource. The harnessing of this energy is expensive and controversial on many fronts. But the potential gains from development of this power source far outweigh the possible detriments to the economical, political, technical and environmental concerns of the United Kingdom.

This essay will deal with all these aspects of wind farm production and management and shall examine the facts and figures surrounding this renewable energy source.

Technical Aspects

Renewable energy sources have been in use for hundreds of years. Wind and water have been at the forefront. The idea of wind energy conjures up the idea of Dutch windmills turning lazily in the breeze. But modern windmills have turned quaint custom into modern technology.

New turbine towers are tubular and made of steel with light gray paint. The blades are made of fiberglass reinforced polyester or wood epoxy. The finish is matted to minimize glare. They often range in height from 25-80 meters.

Turbines have rotor diameters from 30-65 meters. 30-meter diameters are commonly found in developing countries. The blades rotate around a horizontal hub. The hub is attached to a gearbox and generator located in the nacelle.

Most turbines have three blades that face into the wind, which turn the blades and it turn rotates the shaft. The generator then turns mechanical energy into electricity.

Three bladed turbines have greater energy output, smoother blade rotation and are easier on the eye than two blade models, but they higher in cost and weight and there has been difficulty in their installation. Two bladed models are cheaper, lighter, have higher running speeds and are relatively simple to install. On the downside, they are noisy and rotation of the blades can appear jerky. They are considered eyesores by some people.

Environmental Aspects

The United Kingdom is the windiest country in Europe. Hopefully the United Kingdom will capitalize on this fact and make wind energy a growing priority in the years to come. Various sources such as Planet Energy and the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) estimate that wind energy will supply 6-10% of the UK's electricity needs by 2010.

Turbine output depends on the turbine's location. Turbines on average turn and produce electrical energy about 80-85% of the time. In example - a 600KW (Kilowatt) turbine set in a decent location would produce electricity for about 375 households per year. New machines are able to operate at variable wind speeds. They begin to rotate at between 5-10 mph but the turbine shuts down during winds at gale force.

Wind energy should produce up to 10% of the National Grid requirements by the end of the decade. In order to attain this goal, it is estimated that construction of turbines producing 12000MV (Megavolt) output are needed, as is noted on the on the Planet Energy website.

Depending on the size of the turbine, this would entail the use of 80000-120000 hectares of land area (0.3-0.5% of the UK land area) would be needed to construct wind farms. However, less than 1% of this area (800-1200 hectares) would be used in the construction. This small percentage of land would be used for the foundations of the turbines and the access roads. The remaining 99% could be used for other endeavors such as grazing and agricultural operations.

This can be compared with the 280000-.360000 hectares of land (1.2-1.5%) than is used for roads and 18.5 million hectares that are devoted to agriculture. A wind farm of 20 turbines would take up about 1 square kilometer but use only 1% of that area for actual construction.

Turbines last 20-25 years, however parts replaced as part of a preventative maintenance program could possibly extend the life of the unit. The first mass produced turbine, a Vestas 30KW, celebrated its 20^th birthday in May 2000, with no major component replacement to that date.

Wind energy uses no fossil or nuclear fuels- there is no cost or pollution to deal with as there are in other energy sources.

Wind farms also have presented no harm to animals or humans. In fact the first UK wind farm (Delabole) is home to a very successful stud farm and riding school. Humans have faired well too. No one has ever been injured by wind energy, according to the Paul Grimes book 'Wind Power Comes of Age' (1996).

Economical and Political Aspects

Saving energy is far cheaper than generating it. Although many people regularly conserve energy (the Queen is notorious for flipping off light switches), demand for consumption far exceeds conservation efforts.

However, conservation and wind energy can go hand in hand. While at the moment energy conservation measures cost a full pence less than wind produced energy (1.3p/kwh to 2.4p/kwh (kilowatt hour)), as the cost of wind energy production decrease the two will become a formidable force in energy savings, sustainable resources and pollution controls.

Wind energy is competitive in cost to 'clean coal' fired power stations, and cheaper than nuclear power. Wind energy currently runs between 2.4-2.88p/kwh. The smaller the wind farm, the higher the costs. But this is also true of other energy producers.

If you compare the energy used in the manufacture of and energy produced from a given source, this is called an 'energy balance'. 'Payback' is the amount of time needed to achieve the 'energy balance'. Look at this as the amount of time it will take a turbine to pay for the cost of its manufacture before it will turn a profit. (Planet Energy Website; 12 Nov 2001)

An average wind farm will achieve payback in 3-5 months of its start of production. A turbine will produce 30 times more energy that it's cost of manufacture. Nuclear and coal energy will deliver roughly 1/3 of their total manufacturing and supply costs, so in essence they will never show a profit. (Planet Energy Website; 12 Nov 2001)

Wind farms have added benefits. They produce virtually no air or noise pollution, as do their counterparts. While some wind farms are subject to environmental protests, most tend to attract more tourists than protesters. This adds economic benefit to the area they are located in.

If a wind farm is decommissioned, turbines are removed and the concrete bases and access roads are covered up and the area returned to its natural state as dictated by the local planning authority. This is far less complicated and hazardous than the decommissioning of other power stations, etc.

Conclusion

Wind energy is slowly gaining in popularity and is already supplying energy needs in the UK. Como Wind Farm in Powys, Wales, has 56 turbines and is producing power for 25000 homes.

Big business isn't the only one catching wind fever. Cassop Primary School in County Durham is the first mainland UK school to use a turbine (50kw), which produces 270kwh/day, which is double the need of the school. They then sell off the excess energy to the national grid, gaining funds for the school.

Npower and Greenpeace have come together to form an energy concern aptly named 'Juice' to provide power for 50000 homes. This energy is produced by wind and water. In 2003 an offshore wind farm near the North Wales coast will generate all of this power.

In theory, one large turbine placed at sea could produce 2MV per year, enough to provide power to 3000 homes. Offshore farms have the potential to produce 2 times the current UK electricity requirement. Currently only 1/3 of one percent of the UK need is generated by the wind, as compared with 15% production of the Danish.

Offshore wind farms offer unlimited potential to the UK. Prevailing conditions at sea are more conducive to wind energy production than land-based concerns. Turbines placed about 5 miles out to sea would lessen the argument of visibility encroachment. And the possibility of having spare energy to sell should excite even the most Scrooge -like misers amongst politicians and protesters.

The UK government will require all supplier s of electricity to have 3% of their energy coming from renewable resources by mid 2002 and level out at around 10% by the end of the decade.

What remains to be seen is if the public will embrace the idea of renewable energy and actually use it. Or will they stay in their comfort zone of fossil fuels and nuclear plants and then complain when the Earth rebels and throws years of abuse and neglect back in our faces.