Where's the best place for wind power?
Generating electricity from the power of the wind is one of the many ways we can begin to wean North America off its reliance on dirty fuels like coal that produce massive amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gas.
So where are the windiest places in the world that can power our lives?
NASA scientists have been creating maps using nearly a decade of data from NASA's QuikScat satellite that reveal ocean areas where winds could produce energy.
And here's the result:
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
"Wind energy is environmentally friendly. After the initial energy investment to build and install wind turbines, you don't burn fossil fuels that emit carbon," said study lead author Tim Liu, a senior research scientist and QuikScat science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Like solar power, wind energy is green energy."
Want to read more about the latest solutions to climate change? Check out our special Green Sheets section, hosted by Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Ross Gelbspan.
The best site for wind power is in front of Fred Singer's and Patrick Michaels' mouths. Lots of wind there and it never stops!
Other suitable sites are listed in www.exxonsecrets.org
Discuss Energy Environment Issues :
http://www.energyenvironmentforum.com
It will be great to have you there !
Wind power is readily available, affordable and abundant. Along with energy efficiency, it should be one of the first steps we take to respond to the threat of global warming.
For an authoritative look at what wind power can do, see the 20% by 2030 Technical Report from the U.S. Department of Energy at www.20percentwind.org.
American Wind Energy Association
www.powerofwind.org
www.awea.org
Say Rob, were you aware that there's gigantic subsidies for Coal and Nuclear power plants. As well as massive subsidies for unconventional natural gas drilling.
Anyways, my preference goes to Solar Thermal. About the only true thing in your statement is that Wind has reliability issues.
Solar Thermal doesn't have to deal with any of that, since it can send power whenever you want it. Which ironically might fill in the gaps for Wind.
(Depending on which option is cheaper.)
But like Thomas Edison, my money is on the sun.
http://greyfalcon.net/energy2.png
Right now my state of Texas leads the rest of the US in wind turbine generated electricity and it's being sited in places where the wind doesn't stop. Furthermore, a Republican governor, Rick Perry, signed legislation that would fund construction of high tension power lines from where the wind tubine electricity is being generated to where it is being used in the eastern part of the state in cities like San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth and my city of Houston. The mayor of Houston already claims 25% of our power is wind turbine generated. So if it is practical in the 4th largest city in the United States I think it will work for Canada and the world too.
This is a really interesting bit of information, thanks Rick C.
Although wind power surely has a long way to go before it can contribute to its fullest potential, I find it encouraging when any leader, right or left, takes a serious stab at reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Rick Perry seems to be trying something that might be very helpful. Schwarzenegger is another obvious example of a Republican who has little time for naysayers and leading this issue in many constructive ways. It's very telling to contrast these kinds of leaders with others, like Harper, Bush, Stelmach, and so on, who seem to think that the best way to get to the future is to cling to the past and wring every last penny out of it as possible.
We could use a lot more good news like that!
JTK