IN THE PRESENT ERA OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY AND HUGE GROWTH IN ENERGY DEMAND, A TRULY
GLOBAL MARKET FOR ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF PRODUCING ELECTRICITY HAS EMERGED.
The climatic damage resulting from the continued and increasing use of fossil fuels, the finite
nature of these resources and the affects of political instability on the their cost have resulted
In many countries adopting strategies to integrate renewable supplies into their energy mix.
This is further encouraged by multinational initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol which are
providing a framework for incentivising the use of renewable technologies in both the
developed and developing nations of the world.
Additionally, industries across the world are faced with increasing energy prices and volatile
supplies which threatens to adversely affect their growth and development. As a result they are
looking at the potential for harnessing the wind resources at their sites to assist in offsetting
their dependency on existing forms of power generation.
The technology involved in the conversion of wind energy originated with the use of
windmills to grind corn. Todays wind turbines are highly efficient energy converters which
turn the power of the wind into electricity for connection to supply grids or equipment. A
typical modern turbine can supply over 2MW of electrical power which is sufficient to support
over 1000 households.
As generators have become bigger and more powerful, their use has moved from the land to
the sea where very large turbines can produce even more power from the better wind conditions.
Whilst windpower cannot be the simple answer to all our energy problems, it is a technology
that can compete economically with other forms of power production and is available and proven
on a large scale. It is also continuing to develop rapidly with new and improved equipment
constantly reaching the market. Its role in the quest for a cleaner future is therefore assured.
