write a implication for the paper 2 pages

Abstract Introduction Body Tyler Tyler (Wind Energy) One form of alternative energy is wind energy. Just as it sounds, the wind formed from the uneven heating of the surface of the earth. Energy from wind as actually been harnessed for millennia as it was used for sailing large ships in the exploration of the world, windmills used for various applications, and today we are beginning to use wind for electrical generation. One must look at the advantages, disadvantages, environmental impacts, and the community’s perception to see if this technology is worthwhile in our search for alternative energy. Wind energy is collected on the individual and large-scale levels. Typically, the homeowner, farmer, or small business complements their use of energy from the grid with the use of wind energy. A great example of this is City Bus in Lafayette, Indiana. According to Northern Power Systems, since the installation in July 2011, the windmills at City Bus have generated 679,292 kilowatt hours which translates to 52,253 gallons of diesel saved or 991,766 miles driven by cars (City Bus, 2011). Also according to Northern Power Systems, City Bus has saved 1,060,714 pounds of carbon dioxide waste. It seems that these windmills are doing an effective job of supplementing City Bus’s use of energy. Consumption of wind energy is much different at the large scale level though. According to the Institute for Energy Research, only 4.4% of electrical generation in the U.S. is wind energy (Wind – IER, 2015). So why is wind energy such a small part of electrical generation in the United States? According to the slide set from EAPS 375 on July 29, 2015, only about a third of the continental United States has sustainable land for wind energy (Ballotti, 2015). The land that appears usable is the Great Plains region (central continental U.S.), places throughout the Appalachian Mountains, and the shorelines of both the East Coast and West Coast. Considering that electrical generation from wind is a fairly new technology, 4.4% of total electrical generation seems to be correct. The place of wind energy for electrical generation in the United States is much debated though. Some advocates place wind energy at the top of the list, as it is truly renewable. Wind will never stop as there will always be an uneven heating of the Earth’s surface. Unfortunately the power that wind has is not concentrated, so harnessing that energy is a difficult task. The most used technology today is the conventional wind turbine, a large white (typically) tower with three large blades that spin a generator which produces electricity and is then sent down the tower into the electrical grid (Ballotti, 2015). There are many other technologies that are around, most are in the developmental stages though. According to the American Wind Energy Association, there are over 49,000 windmills in the United States which represent around 67,870 megawatts (State Fact Sheets, 2015). Also according to the AWEA, “Indiana has the potential to become a national leader in the wind energy industry”. Currently Indiana is ranked 13th in wind capacity, has 1,031 wind turbines, has 14 wind energy projects, and has 1,745 megawatts of installed wind capacity (Indiana Wind Energy, 2015). Above there was a lot of information presented on the positives of wind energy. It is completely renewable and seems to be effective, but the 4.4% of electrical generation in the U.S. is interesting. Unfortunately there are negatives to wind turbines. One of these is the communal pushback against wind farms. Take for instance the Cape Cod Windfarm presented in November of 2001. Initially there was a large push against the windfarm, which would be offshore and unseen 7-8 months of the year due to the misty Atlantic Ocean, but luckily much campaigning and lots of money have been put into the windfarm and now the project is underway (Cape Wind Project Timeline, 2014). Many other communities across the U.S. have

denied these motions though. Often times situations arise due to the aesthetics of the windmills themselves. According to Conserve Energy Future, a petition usually comes arise before a windfarm can be placed (Disadvantages of Wind Energy, 2013). Another factor to consider is noise pollution. According to the slide set on wind energy from EAPS 375, at 100 meters away from a wind turbine there is a level of 50 decibels, similar to a mid-size window air conditioner (Ballotti, 2015). This would be the reason there are no wind farms near residential areas. (Tyler to add more soon) Dom hydro Hydropower, in essence, takes advantage of gravity. The basic concept of this source of energy is running water that is already flowing, through turbines that spin and create electricity through generators. Traditionally, there are four types of hydropower systems. Run-of-river hydropower channels the flow of the water off of the river, through generators, and then back along the course of the river. These types of hydropower stations divert water off its natural path. Usually, these are smaller than the massive dam – like generator stations the public imagines. A great example of a run-of-river station is the Fitzsimmons Creek Project that generates electricity for the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. By using the natural run-off and creek, a certain percentage of the flowing water is diverted through a pipe, down a mountain, to a generation facility. Although emissions are low, other impacts must be taken seriously such as biodiversity loss and obstruction of wildlife which will be discussed later. This method of power generation is great for remote locations (with examples of which generating power for First Nation tribes). Storage hydropower are classic dam structured generation plants that have been iconized in television, news and pop culture. The way the work is by creating a huge reservoir of water behind the generation facility and then slowly releasing that water to generate electricity. With this approach to electrical generation, the dam controls all the water flow downriver. Huge amounts of energy can be generated through the method with the Hoover dam generating 4.5 billion kilowatt hours per year for U.S. residents in the west. Pumped up storage hydropower is very simple. A lower reservoir of water is pumped up to a high point creating a head which is then let go like to run through a generator system. Although energy is used to pump up the water, this method produces 2% of the U.S. electrical generation needs. What is important to note regarding this energy generation system is that it requires energy to produce energy. Pumped up hydropower is being championed as more of a sustainable battery than an actual electrical generation system. The need for a sustainable “battery” is needed as conventional battery technology is severely lagging behind our advancements in energy production causing a deficit in where our energy can be produced but it cannot be stored efficiently. Offshore hydropower is a very interesting and new power generation method that has huge potential for the U.S. The National Hydropower Association says that 90GW of power output is expected by the implementation of offshore hydropower in the U.S. This is a huge amount of energy that can come from a clean source. There are several different prototypes of offshore hydropower but two stand out; wave and tidal power. Wave hydropower generation works by harnessing the energy that flows through water by creating platforms with hydraulic pumps or buoys that can capture said energy. Tidal hydropower generation captures the energy created by tides either by damming them or having turbines within streams and rivers. Hydropower is very attractive to consumers as it is incredibly cheap. Hydropower costs 2 cents per kilowatt hour on average where as coal and natural gas cast 7.5 and 6 cents respectively. Other estimates from the DOE say hydropower costs 8 cents per kilowatt hour with the estimates for coal and natural gas still being in the 10 to 14 cents per kilowatt hour range. Furthermore the energy efficiencies that have been recorded for hydroelectric

generation facilities in the early years of building are in the range of 60% with newer facilities reaching 90%. Coal and natural gas generation facilities cannot touch those numbers with a 10 foot pole. Recommendations

Implications References Ballotti, D. (Director) (2015, July 29). Wind Power. EAPS 375. Lecture conducted from , West Lafayette, IN. Cape Wind Project Timeline. (2014). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://www.capewind.org/when/timeline City Bus - Lafayette/West Lafayette, IN. (2011, July 1). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://northernpower.kiosk-view.com/citybus Disadvantages Of Wind Energy. (2013, January 19). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Disadvantages_WindEnergy.php Indiana Wind Energy. (2015). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://awea.files.cms-plus.com/FileDownloads/pdfs/Indiana.pdf State Fact Sheets. (2015). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://www.awea.org/resources/ statefactsheets.aspx?itemnumber=890 Wind - IER. (2015). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/encyclopedia/wind/

Environmental impact on hydroelectric power Hydroelectric power is generated by the turbines under the influence of running water in massive dams and river run-off plants. The process is made possible by the existence of natural water cycle and gravity. Harnessing power in this form provides a renewable source of energy that is recycled without major operational cost. It also provides the largest source of energy with less global warming gas emission compared with the non-renewable sources of energy. Therefore, it is an alternative energy source that minimizes air pollution. Despite these advantages, the hydroelectric power has been attributed to significant negative environmental impacts. To build a hydroelectric plant requires the creation of a reservoir that occupies considerable size of land. The size of reservoir build depends on the size of the hydroelectric generators and the prevailing land topography. When hydroelectric power stations are constructed on hilly areas, the size of land required for the construction of reservoirs is much smaller compared with the reservoirs constructed along flat areas. This is so because hilly areas tend to have considerably deeper reservoirs hence holds larger volume of water within a smaller space. These lager areas of land required for construction of reservoirs have contributed to the degradation of the environment. For instance, many agricultural lands, forests and wildlife habitats have been destroyed to facilitate reservoir construction. In addition, the large volume of

water in the dams and river run-off has led to flooding of surrounding vegetation and residential areas hence contributed to destruction of crops and relocation of communities. The hydroelectric plants have contributed to the disruption of the aquatic ecosystems. In the process of constructing these dams, the normal aquatic life is disrupted following the impediment of normal water flow. These aquatic lives both at the downstream side and within the reservoir are considerably destabilized. Within the reservoir the water is more stagnant compared with the normal flow of water downstream. Accordingly, it is expected that the reservoir will possess more nutrients and sediments; this in turn offers a fertile substrate ground for the growth of aquatic weeds and excess algae. The weeds compete with the aquatic plants and animals, which reduces their optimal growth. In addition, there is increased evaporation of water in the damned reservoirs more than the normal flowing rivers. As enormous volume of water is hold within the reservoir, the regular flow of water is drastically reduced and might result to drying up of the downstream side of the rivers. Therefore, necessary measures must be put in place to regulate water flow in the reservoir to mitigate these consequences. Environmental impacts of wind power Wind power is a renewable source of energy harnessed from the flow of air through wind turbines. In the process it leads to the production of electrical power. Harnessing power in this form is considered the most sustainable, safer and clean means to generate electricity, since it is associated with a host of benefits compared with other energy sources. As oppose to the other non-renewable sources of energy (fossil fuels), wind power is readily available, widely distributed, clean and produces less emission of greenhouse gases in the process of its operation. Of utmost important, however, is the little land required to install the wind power generation plant. Therefore, in the recent past wind power technology has become the most appropriate alternative energy source owing to its less environmental impact. Despite the associated advantages, wind power has been attributed to a variety of negative effects on the environment. These challenges have elicited concerted measures to mitigate and reduce its possible environmental impacts. To install a wind power plant, a considerable amount of land is required, usually varying depending on the location of the site. For instance in a flat area, the placement of wind turbines occupies more land compared with those installed on hilly areas. This placement of turbines and the transmission lines usually do not fully occupy the specified territory as the remaining space can be used for other activities like, highways, agriculture, and livestock grazing among others. Much disruption of activities like fishing, gravel and sand extraction, gas and oil extraction, aquaculture, navigation and recreational activities have been reported in places within immediate wind power plants. Therefore, during the installation process best possible precautions is put in place to reduce any potential effect on these essential projects. The wind power generation plants negatively affect wildlife and their habitats. For instance, flying bats and birds are usually killed when they collide with rotary wind turbines in air. Therefore, wind turbines installing experts usually access the most appropriate sites for installation to minimize wildlife disruption.

References

Daoutis, L., & Dialynas, E. (2009). Impact of hybrid wind and hydroelectric power generation on the operational performance of isolated power systems. Electric Power Systems Research, 79(10), 1360-1373. doi:10.1016/j.epsr.2009.04.008 Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW). 2010. Recommendations of the wind turbine guidelines advisory committee. Holttinen, H. (2005). Impact of hourly wind power variations on the system operation in the Nordic countries. Wind Energ., 8(2), 197-218. doi:10.1002/we.143 National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC). 2010. Wind turbine interactions with birds, bats,and their habitats: A summary of research results and priority questions. Norheim, I., & Pudjianto, D. (2008). Method for assessing impact of large-scale wind power integration on reserves. Wind Energ., 11(1), 85-96. doi:10.1002/we.252 Rai, A. (2008). Environmental Impact from River Damming for Hydroelectric Power Generation and Means of Mitigation. Hydro Nepal, 2(0). doi:10.3126/hn.v2i0.1164