E.+Raddant+and+K.+Soo+Energy+and+Water+Wiki.

//**The Problem at Hand/The Driving Force of the Problem/What People are Doing to Solve it**// The earth is running out of natural resources. As the human race constantly relies on the power and energy produced from these resources, they have dissipated considerably. This is a predicament because there are no other readily accessible resources for the world to use. Furthermore, the overuse of these fossil fuels has emitted so much CO2, that the atmospheric balance has been altered, and resulted in global warming.

The issue of lost fossil fuels is driven by the fact that people don’t appreciate the value of energy resources and overuse them. This overuse comes in many forms: unnecessary luxuries. There are several alternative solutions being researched, but none of them have been effectively applied. It is the job of this generation to discover new renewable energy sources; older generations created the problem and now it is this generation’s obligation to fix it. The applied knowledge of chemistry will aid the research and eventual solution to the problem.
 * extensive showers
 * leaving water running
 * leaving electronics running when not in use
 * lights left on during the day or when no one is around
 * overusing air conditioning or heat

** WIND POWER **
One of the possible solutions to the current energy and fuel shortages is //wind power//. In a world where fossil fuels are becoming an increasing rarity, one of the most logical choices for renewable energy is wind power. Many places such as Cape Wind, Cape Cod and Horn’s Rev, Denmark have already discovered the benefits of wind power. Wind power is one of the cleanest and most plentiful, sustainable ways of creating electricity; it is also one of the fastest growing methods of generating electricity in the world. Wind power releases no harmful greenhouse gases or other harmful pollutants. Also, because wind is free and wind farms need no fuel, wind power is clearly the most valid choice economically as well. Every generation must solve its own set of problems; and wind power seems to be the most conducive solution to fixing the current energy crisis.

Wind power is the idea of using a windmill to turn the power of spinning blades into power; the main idea being that when the blades of the windmill are turned by wind, it then turns the generator which creates power. Wind turbines are usually three-bladed for maximum efficiency and are operated "upwind," with the blades facing into the wind. The other common wind turbine type is the two-bladed, downwind turbine. Instead of electricity creating wind such as in a fan, wind turbines work inversely generating electricity using wind. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. Utility-scale turbines range in size from 50 to 750 kilowatts. Single small turbines, below 50 kilowatts, can be used to power homes, satellite dishes, or to pump water.
 * // How it Works //**

Wind power uses wind turbines, or windmills to change wind energy into electricity. How it’s done;
 * 1) The blades on the turbine turn as a result of the blowing wind.
 * 2) The blades turn a shaft at the top of the turbine.
 * 3) The shaft goes into a gearbox which increases the rotation speed for the generator’s use.
 * 4) The generator, with the aid of magnetic fields converts the energy from the turning blades to electrical energy.
 * 5) This power goes into a transformer which converts the electricity to the right voltage; 33,000 Volts.
 * 6) A national grid distributes this power for use.

// **CO2 Emission** // Wind turbines are extremely effective at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading greenhouse gas. 21.3 billion tonnes of CO2 are produced yearly from the burning of fossil fuels. But wind power produces only 1.5 pounds yearly, where 1.5 lbs is only 0.000680 tonnes. This comparison is so large partly because there is so little wind power used compared to the burning of fossil fuels, even so, wind power produces much less CO2 as a whole than the burning of fossil fuels does.

// **The Best Aspects of Wind Power** //
 * Wind power has no air emissions. Using wind power as a primary source of energy emits less pollution than traditional fossil fuels. It does not produce sulfur dioxide, mercury, carbon dioxide (the leading greenhouse gas), or any other type of air pollution.
 * Price is another positive aspect of wind power. It is much cheaper than conventional methods of energy; the energy consumption for production, installation, operation and decommission of a wind turbine is usually earned back within three months of operation.
 * Wind power is more efficient than other sources of power, in that 1000 megawatts of wind power can replace 300 megawatts of other sources.
 * It is also more reliable, as nuclear plants can be unpredictable with sudden outages.
 * Because wind power is converted to usable energy on the spot, as opposed to conventional energy methods there is no fuel to mine, transport, or store.
 * There is no lasting impact on the environment with wind power turbines, when decommissioned, they are taken apart and even the foundations are removed.
 * Wind power is essentially a more logical and less complicated choice.

// **How Critics Would Discuss It** // Although as previously stated there are many positive results of wind power, critics will also often discuss the negative aspects. For every negativity, there is usually a positive outlook on the aspects of wind power. [Horn's Rev in Denmark, Cape Wind off Cape Cod]
 * Wind farms are often considered eyesores; the multiple turbines take up too much open space.
 * Some people believe that they are noisy.
 * The ambitious goals of the wind energy industry seem to require numerous wind farms, and within them, many turbines. This will take up too much space and will eventually have an effect on people.
 * One of the problems concerning the first land-based wind farms was its danger to wildlife such as bats, hawks, and eagles.
 * According to research analysts, the bird and bat casualties are negligible compared to other human activity such as, traffic, telephone lines, hunting, and high-rise buildings.
 * For example, in Europe where gasoline is even more expensive than in the United States, the citizens are much more open to alternative renewable resources. They do not see turbines as eyesores, if fact, as with the Horn’s Rev wind farm in Denmark, it actually attracted more tourists. The people in Europe are much more appreciative of the work being done to change the situation of the loss of energy resources. They love the sight of a new energy source, while people in the United States view wind projects such as Cape Wind as only an obstruction.

// **Amount of Wind Power in the World’s Fuel/Energy Supply** // Currently, wind farms produce just over 1% of world-wide electricity. Globally, wind power has increased more than five times between 2000 and 2007. Although the United States has 40% of Europe's total wind energy resources, the resource is severely underused as wind power only produces 0.5% of the country’s electricity requirements through this method. Many of the reasons why wind power is so underused were stated under the negative aspects listed before but one of the most significant is the inability to transmit the energy to the population. There are only so many places that can provide sufficient wind power, and these places are usually under populated as they are on mountains, in unlivable terrain, or in the ocean. The distance makes it harder to transport the energy for use. One of the main reasons for the small scale of wind power is the unavailability of usable land in which to construct wind farms. If there were more land available to build more turbines, wind power could move to a larger scale. One of the concerns regarding the building of more wind farms is that although there may be appropriate land available, most places that are windy, also have large populations of wildlife. Therefore, people are concerned that the turbines would disrupt the animals existing there. Another way in which wind power could reach a larger scale would be if more people were aware of alternative energy resources. People take for granted that fossil fuels will always be existent for everyday use, but if they knew that energy was something that needed to be conserved, more people would be willing to enforce new solutions. **//How to change it and why//** Obviously the first change needed to be made in how wind power is used is to somehow make it cheaper, as the most significant issue in wind power production is the cost. The large cost is prohibitive to the expansion of wind power use. The cost to get the materials; the cost to build the turbines; the cost to transmit the energy from the turbines various, sometimes rural and far away locations; and the cost to purchase the land (usually coastal and thus more expensive) for the wind farms, are enormous inconveniences. However, how to make this alteration is much less simple than merely deciding what change to make. In Europe, there is a much larger amount of government funding that goes towards alternate energy sources, specifically wind power, than there is in the United States. This decreases the cost of wind power there a bit, which aids in increasing the use of wind power. Public support would also help change how wind power is used. With more support from citizens, there would be more donations for funding. When the public does not support the cause, cost of wind power goes up; the public is fighting against the wind power company, so the corporation needs to fight back, which is expensive. So with a little more support from the government, and a little more appreciation from the people of the world (the people who //should// care because they //will// be affected by the eventual loss of fossil fuels,) wind power will be a fast growing movement. Remember: oil will dry up, but wind will always be there.
 * In Denmark, it is responsible for about 19% of electricity production; Horn’s Rev is accountable for a large part of this production.
 * In Spain and Portugal, wind power accounts for approximately 9%.
 * In Germany and the Republic of Ireland, wind power is 6% of the electricity used.
 * // How to Produce Wind Power on a Larger Scale //**