A giant wind turbine quietly whirling in the sun has long been the symbol of renewable energy and a look into a greener future. Wind farms, which were previously an uncommon sight only found in certain areas, are now popping up in places all over the world. Wind power is swiftly becoming one of the most effective and least expensive types of renewable energy in the race to counteract the impacts of global warming.

With about 112,000 megawatts of installed capacity, America is now the world’s second-largest wind power producer, after only China. They have enough wind turbines to power almost 34 million homes while avoiding the CO2 emissions of 42 million cars.

For the first time in 130 years, America uses more renewable energy than coal in 2020, all credit goes to the meteoric ascent of wind power. While converting wind to electricity appears to be the ideal climate change solution, much more work is required if the wind is to realize its full potential, not just as a major source of renewable energy, but as a source of energy in general.
So, to give you a better idea of what’s ahead, let’s take a closer look and see what you need to know about wind energy’s future.

Offshore Wind Is Picking Up Speed

While most of us are familiar with wind farms in open fields or along coastlines, there is rising interest in maximizing power by erecting massive turbines miles out at sea. Offshore turbines are more efficient and productive than land-based turbines because they are not blocked by wind-blocking obstacles such as buildings, trees, and hills.

Construction on the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6 gigawatts “Dogger Bank” project, which will be built in three phases, has already begun 80 miles off the coast of the United Kingdom. Construction will begin in 2023, and the wind farm will be large enough to power about six million UK homes once completed.

With abundant wind resources and the booming investment in the sector, it looks as though offshore wind will play a critical role in America’s renewable energy transition and set a new benchmark that many other countries will want to match.

Wind turbines will continue to grow in size and power

There’s something of an arms race going on between the world’s most renowned turbine manufacturers in the endeavor to create more electricity from each wind power generator. General Electric has showcased its new “Haliade-X” turbine, a 13-megawatt behemoth with a rotor diameter the size of two football fields, after recently announcing its retirement from the coal power station market. We expect to see a lot more projects like this in near future.

The Price War Between Coal and Gas Is Winning

Wind farms used to be a considerably greener alternative to typical coal and natural gas-fired power stations, but they were also significantly more expensive. Wind turbine energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in many nations, thanks to the tremendous growth of renewable energy in recent years — and the price difference is expected to widen further.

In 2019, three-quarters of new onshore wind farms supplied electricity at a lower cost than the cheapest new coal or gas power plants, according to a survey by the International Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). According to IRENA, onshore and offshore wind farm prices could decline by another 45 percent and 50 percent, respectively, between now and 2030.

By 2030, new utility-scale solar PV and onshore wind will have significantly lower costs than new fossil-fuel-fired projects and will be cheaper on average than operating about 1,700 GW of existing coal capacity.

With new wind farms delivering clean electricity at such a cheap cost, and coal generation continuing to decline at historic levels, it appears that wind power may soon become one of the world’s most dominating energy sources.

It is one of our fastest-growing industries.

As America attempts to achieve net-zero emissions in the coming decades, the wind industry is anticipated to produce thousands of new employments in addition to supplying clean, low-cost electricity.

The wind industry currently employs over 120,000 people in the United States, and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of wind turbine technicians will expand by 61 percent over the next ten years, making it the country’s second-fastest-growing career. Wind technician jobs also pay over USD 53k per year on average, which is more than USD 12k more than the US national average.

The wind industry’s quick and sustained growth has resulted in more family-sustaining jobs, local manufacturing, opportunities for veterans, and support for rural communities, all while providing millions of Americans with reliable, low-cost, zero-carbon electricity.

A Small Change Could Help Millions of Birds

One of the major complaints raised when discussing the benefits and drawbacks of wind energy is the damage that spinning blades pose to the bird’s population. Wind turbines are estimated to kill between 140,000 and 500,000 birds in the United States each year, posing a serious threat to large birds with low birth rates such as eagles, hawks, and falcons, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Researchers discovered that painting one of the turbine’s three blades black reduced bird mortality by 70% after a multi-year trial, with the color change reducing “motion smear” and giving birds more time to adapt their flight trajectories.
Moreover, despite the trial’s limited scope, it presented a straightforward and effective technique of minimizing animal deaths without requiring costly changes to wind turbine production or operation.
While it’s worth noting that wind farms kill many fewer birds than many other sources, it’s encouraging to see further research on turbine safety, which will only help to speed up renewable energy deployment across the country.

Wind's Future Is More Exciting Than Ever

Wind power is destined to become one of our key energy sources in the future decades, given the fast acceleration of wind output in recent years and the plunging electricity costs that are currently outperforming coal and gas.

We’ve long believed in the many advantages of wind energy, and we’re encouraged by many of the exciting new developments. Wind power is clearly beneficial to both the environment and the economy. We’re looking forward to seeing how far wind power can take us in the fight against global warming and how much it can save us on our energy bills – in 2022 and beyond.

Published On: July 8th, 2021 / Categories: GHG Emission /