Wind power is one of the best energy alternatives in existence today. Once installed, it is one of the world's cheapest modes of energy production -- the fuel is free! And one of the many other benefits of wind power is that it provides an economic boost to struggling rural communities.

Wind power has come a long way from small-scale production on individual farms. The latest design coming out on the market today is a turbine as tall as a 30-story building that is capable of generating enough power to provide light and heat for up to 600 homes. If such turbines were installed throughout the Midwest, they could potentially provide a percentage of the energy needs of all the lower 48 states. This estimate might sound ambitious, but President Bush recently announced that the country could meet as much as 20% of its energy needs with wind power alone. Wind currently accounts for 0.2% of our energy consumption.

And although the big power companies and municipalities are starting to get serious about large-scale wind production, it still makes a great small-scale community generation project. A mid-sized wind turbine costs about $500,000 to purchase and install, and can power up to 150 homes. Any excess power can also be sold back to the grid as a way of generating revenue for the community. New wind farms also create jobs in rural areas that otherwise have a hard time finding a competitive edge in the economy.

Another area besides the windswept plains of the Midwest that power companies are beginning to site turbines is the seashore. These offshore wind farms collect the sea breezes, which are nearly constant. The idea has yet to catch on in the United States, but it's really taken off in places like the United Kingdom. Europe alone is responsible for roughly 55% of all the wind power that has been installed around the world since 1999.

There are some potential drawbacks to wind power, as there are with every type of power generation. The wind does not blow all the time, even in places where it blows almost constantly. There needs to be some backup power source in case the wind should stop blowing. The turbines are also not completely silent, and under certain conditions, they can cast a shadow. And the installation of new wind farms can cause some damage to wildlife. But researchers are working on ways to mitigate the effects of as many of the drawbacks as possible.

Finally, wind power is a great way to make the world a safer place. It reduces our dependence on foreign sources of oil without the added risk of the hazardous waste that comes with nuclear power. A wind farm is something a community can welcome with complete confidence.

Sources:

Windustry
"Wind power in the United Kingdom" -- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia