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| The Need For Wind Energy |
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Fossil fuels won't last forever
Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas & coal) can only be used once. Fossil fuels came into existence through the natural decay and burial of biological materials over many millions of years. Fossil fuels are carbon-based, therefore huge amounts of carbon were removed from the Earth's atmosphere and buried through this natural process.
Through burning fossil fuels, human beings are returning millions of years' worth of buried carbon to the atmosphere in a very short time period. It is not reasonable to gamble on the Earth being able to cope with such a rapid change in such a short time period without any consequences, particularly considering the mass of scientific evidence from universities and research departments across the world, which has led to a wide scientific consensus on the issue of manmade climate change.
Fossil fuels will not last forever. Humanity is burning fossil fuels at an ever-faster rate as our economies continue to expand. Sooner or later human beings have to find alternative sources of fuel to maintain their economies. These replacement fuel sources need to be renewable. In other words, we need to find and develop fuel sources which won't run out and do not damage the environment.
Every energy source has an upside and a downside
Every form of power generation has its critics and opposition groups. None offers the perfect solution. There is no means of generating electricity that is acceptable to everyone. The UK government has therefore decided upon an 'energy mix' to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on foreign oil and gas imports, using multiple technologies to provide future energy needs, instead of putting all their eggs into one basket.
About wind power
Harnessing wind energy through wind turbines has a minimal environmental impact. When placed on farm land, the turbines typically take up less than 2% of the farming or grazing land, allowing the farmer to gain a new source of income and continue farming 98% of the land, including right up to the base of each wind turbine.
Modern turbine designs have reduced noise levels to the point that the sound intensity generated by an average car travelling at 40 mph at a distance of 100 metres is considerably more than the sound intensity of a wind farm at a distance of 350 metres (source: CSE Common Concerns About Wind Power, May 2011). Modern wind turbines are now so quiet that you can in fact stand directly below a new wind turbine and hold a conversation without needing to raise your voice. Air Farmers Ltd aim to build wind farms at distances from local residences that ensure noise will not be a problem.
The major environmental groups support wind power
The major environmental groups, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB, all support wind power. According to Mark Avery of the RSPB: "Climate change is such a massive problem that the RSPB is convinced that we have to act now as a society and we have to roll out renewable energy and wind energy has to be a very big part of that.".
According to the CSE report; Common Concerns About Wind Power, May 2011, "the average wind farm is expected to generate at least 20-25 times the energy required in its manufacture and installation over its lifetime".
When modern wind turbines reach the end of their useful life in around 25 years, they can be dismantled within just a few weeks, and the environment returned to its original state. The same cannot be said for nuclear power, or opencast coal.
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