A critical evaluation of wind turbines pros and cons which will tell you exactly why it is being pitched as one of the alternatives for fossil fuels when it comes to power generation. Continue reading.

The quest to find a replacement for carbon-based fuels that we have been using all this while, has intensified with the entire world heading towards a severe energy crisis. There do exist quite a few options in form of alternative energy sources on the horizon, but choosing the best among them is a bit difficult with all of them having their own pros and cons.

One such source is wind energy — which has the capability of resolving power crisis of the entire world if tapped to its full potential. Add to it the fact that it is much more environment friendly as compared to the fossil fuels and wind energy comes up as one of the best alternative source of energy. But is everything really so simple? Can we harness the entire potential of this force of nature? Is it possible to erect wind turbines without disturbing the balance in environment?

Pros and Cons of Wind Turbines

On the basis of their design, wind turbines are divided into two types:

• Horizontal axis wind turbines
• Vertical axis wind turbines

At the same time, they can also be classified into two different types on the basis of their location:

• Onshore turbines (those located on land)
• Offshore turbines (those located in oceans)

Irrespective of whether you develop onshore wind turbines or offshore wind turbines, pros and cons of the same are bound to be there. Offshore turbines, however, have an added advantage as wind speed on ocean surface is better as compared to the same on land.

Wind Turbines Pros

There are several advantages of wind power on the basis of which it is pitched to be the future of energy revolution. The most prominent advantage of wind turbines is that they do not pollute the environment like the carbon-based fuels do. Similarly, wind turbines do not generate radioactive waste like nuclear power plants do. While the main drawback of conventional sources of energy is that they are exhaustible, wind energy is not subjected to any such problem. The cost factor also works in favor of this source of power as the investment incurred on development and operation of these turbines is earned back within 3 months of operation. More importantly, the raw material in this case, i.e. the wind, comes absolutely free of cost and the only investment incurred is on development of infrastructure and operation. Flexibility is yet another plus point of this power source as you can develop energy required to power a single house using one win turbine or develop energy for entire region by building a wind farm. Decommissioning of wind turbines is also quite easy as compared to that of other power sources.

Wind Turbines Cons

As in case of various other alternative sources of energy, even wind turbines have their own drawbacks. One of the most prominent drawback that the critics cite when it comes to wind energy development is the lack of efficiency. While wind turbines do generate decent amount of power, that is by no means comparable to the amount of electricity produced by a single nuclear power plant. That invariably means that a large number of wind turbines will be required to meet the energy demands, which again calls for a significant investment.

More importantly, these structures are also vulnerable to the extremities of the weather. Fast blowing winds can bring down the blades of these turbines, if not the entire turbine itself. Some critics and environmentalists also point out that wind turbines kill birds and bats, which again questions its environment friendly attribute. Even though the pros and cons of this source of power make it look quite impressive, administrators are skeptical about investing in the same owing to these very drawbacks of wind turbines.

While the pros and cons of wind power make this source of power seem quite promising on paper, ground reality has a totally different picture to portray. There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that wind energy is an environment friendly and renewable. But the question we need to ask, is whether it is worth to invest so much in developing wind turbines? Shouldn’t we try to find other efficient methods of generating electricity? At the end of the day, we are left with no option but to sacrifice on something, and the onus is on us to decide whether we are ready to sacrifice on efficiency or the environmental benefits.