Renewable Wind Energy

Given our current energy situation alternative wind energy might very well become one of our most important sources of energy in the future.

The price of oil is constantly rising. The amount of fossil fuels that is still left on this planet is low. In addition, using fossil fuels has caused drastic damage to our health and the environment. We can also already see how quickly and profoundly our climate is changing. Coal production and consumption causes just as many problems as oil does. The answer lies with renewable wind energy and other clean types of energy.

We certainly have to cooperate at an international level if we want to solve our energy problem. The amount of fossil fuels burned or consumed by each country is certainly different. Countries that are more advanced in their economic development might already have replaced some of their fossil fuel consumption with cleaner energy technology. Countries with a large industrial sector, such as India and China, for example, need to pay special attention to their pollution contribution.

We cannot continue polluting our planet any more. We all have to work together if we want to develop alternative sources of energy. Renewable wind energy as well as solar power could be one of those sources. These alternative sources of energy don't produce harmful gases for the environment and are therefore being described as clean energy sources.

Some forms of energy are available globally while others require specific locations. In a location with no or only mild winds it would be very difficult to generate renewable wind energy. Germany is one of the leading countries in terms of alternative wind energy. It is easier for countries with a large shoreline to build wind turbine farms at a larger scale.

While winds are strong near the coastline they are even stronger offshore. Experts suggest to build wind turbine farms there. Therefore, more energy could be generated at those locations. The drawback is, that building on the open sea can be a big challenge. Each turbine would need to be able to withstand the harsh conditions on the open sea. Having said that, once the breaking-even-point is reached these wind farms will work much more competitively.

The technology to harness wind power is always  improving. With every decrease in production costs the interest in alternative wind energy increases. Sven Sigaard, president and CEO of Vestas Wind Systems (Denmark) believes that once it is possible to build wind turbine farms close enough to the shore line and with technology that is efficient enough the kilowatt/hour price can compete with other forms of energy.

Coming from a country where windmills were used since around 1790 to generate 25% of all the energy needed by the Danish Industry Mr. Sigaard's statement certainly deserves our attention.