Wind turbines can be found across the country in a multitude
of states. Obtaining energy from wind
turbines is environmentally friendly and does not release gases that contribute
to global warming. The wind turbines use
wind to make electricity or mechanical energy.
The turbines turn in the air and power a generator that eventually
creates an electric current. Areas that
contain a large amount of wind turbines in a specific area are called wind
farms. While wind energy is a renewable
resource and produces no pollutants or greenhouse gases, there are still a few
environmental concerns. There is concern
regarding the sound produced by the rotors, and that birds fly into the rotors
and die. Wind power is a much larger
initial investment than fossil-fueled generators. The initial investment costs around one
million dollars per megawatt to install.
Around 80% of the initial investment is for the machinery necessary to
run the turbines. Once the turbines and
the energy source begins to work, electricity powered by wind is one of the
cheapest forms of energy to maintain.
There have been recent improvements in wind turbines that helps to
reduce the costs.
Distributed wind turbines produce electricity on the
distribution grid for businesses, homes, schools, etc. The major distribution and movement challenge
regarding wind energy is that wind cannot be stored. Wind does not blow exactly when electricity
is needed. Most of the good wind sites
are located in remote areas that are far from cities where the most electricity
is needed. Since these “wind farms” are
far away from areas of high population, it becomes difficult to transport the
electricity to the places in need. Wind
energy is a decentralized system. Wind
energy is decentralized because the energy is generated and stored by a variety
of small, grid-connected devices. The wind
energy is produced close to where it will be used. 
The major obstacles to adopting wind energy are that wind
turbines are mostly located in remote locations, and turbines are mostly
installed on farming land. Cities are
the areas that need the most energy, and wind farms are located far away from
those cities. Wind turbines are also
installed on farming land, which raises concerns that the land should be used
for farming because it would be a greater profit and a better use of
space. The turbine installation on these
farmlands has to compete with alternative uses for the land. The federal government offers tax incentives and
grants/loans to curb demand for wind energy.
For example, the federal renewable energy Production Tax Credit allows
owners of renewable energy facilities to receive tax credits for each
kilowatt-hour of electricity generated by the facility over a ten year
period.
Sources: http://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/
