The Power of Nature

Due to the growing population, economic growth, and socioeconomic development, energy is an essential need.  Worldwide, about 86.4% of energy is produced by fossil fuels. Globally, India ranks fourth among the countries that have wind energy. The last five years’ growth in wind energy in India is about 16%. This growing Indian wind energy market is compared with the world scenario along with the state of Maharashtra in India, which is in the second position in the country, backed up by a detailed database. The wind is used to produce electricity by converting the kinetic energy of air in motion into electricity.  In modern wind turbines, wind rotates the rotor blades, which convert kinetic energy into rotational energy. This rotational energy is transferred by a shaft to the generator, thereby producing electrical energy.  An ill-effect of the usage of conventional energy sources to meet the demand is the loss to the environment and public health. The result of pollution like global warming, skin cancer, etc., has forced the scientific community all over the world to focus on alternative sources of energy which can be renewed and should cause considerably less damage to the environment.

The wind is air in motion. The uneven temperature distribution due to solar radiation and the earth’s rotation are the two leading causes of wind. Wind energy is a renewable, inexhaustible, and non-polluting source of energy. It is an environment-friendly, developing, and popular alternative source of clean energy. As a source of power, the potential of wind energy is huge. This is clear from the rapid increase in cumulative global capacity, reaching 539 GW at the end of 2017 representing 10.7% of cumulative market growth. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Government of India, and several state governments have been at the forefront of providing the necessary policy support and a facilitative regulatory system for the fast and orderly growth of the sector. The MNRE took various initiatives to promote cooperation with other countries and funding authorities, like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in the field of renewable energy. Under National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) program, the ministry has taken up initiatives of wind resource assessment in new and uncovered areas to assess the potential at 100 m level and 500 new wind monitoring stations across the country. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy along with the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has announced India’s Offshore Wind Policy and also started planning to encourage a demonstration project. The government is keen on the growth of the wind energy sector in India.

Now, if we start learning about wind energy resources in America we will get that, there are 57,000 wind turbines in the United States, both on land and offshore. Wind turbines can be standalone structures, or they can be clustered together in what is known as a wind farm. While one turbine can generate enough electricity to support the energy needs of a single home, a wind farm can generate far more electricity, enough to power thousands of homes. Wind farms are usually located on top of a mountain or in an otherwise windy place to take advantage of natural winds. The largest offshore wind farm in the world is called the Walney Extension. This wind farm is located in the Irish Sea approximately 19 kilometers (11 miles) west of the northwest coast of England. The Walney Extension covers a massive area of 149 square kilometers (56 square miles), which makes the wind farm bigger than the city of San Francisco, California, or the island of Manhattan in New York. The grid of 87 wind turbines stands 195 meters (640 feet) tall, making these offshore wind turbines some of the largest wind turbines in the world. The Walney Extension has the potential to generate 659 megawatts of power, which is enough to supply 600,000 homes in the United Kingdom with electricity.