When the wind blows over the blades of a wind turbine, the aerofoil shape makes them turn.
This rotational energy can be transferred to an electrical generator or to a machine, a water pump for example.
At the moment, wind power is not used as much as it should be because of 25% of people in the UK who are against the idea. Some don’t want wind turbines because……
- They are very tall and would spoil views.
- A lot of noise is produced due to the rotating blades.
- Because they are so big and usually part of a farm, a lot of space is needed.
- They work best at sea so the beaches we have would be taken over.
The wind could easily supply us with clean, natural energy but for that to happen we would have to make some sacrifices such as giving up our beaches and losing nice views. 75% of people in the UK are willing to do this so in the future wind power could supply us with a large percentage of our energy.
Solar Energy
The sun is the main source of all our energy. It continually supplies radiation in the form of waves. The sun is the source of all food energy through photosynthesis. It is the source of the fossil fuels; coal and oil resources which were produced from the burying of matter which once lived.
The sun is a very powerful energy source made up of hydrogen gas and converts hydrogen into helium. As a result of this, nuclear energy is released and travels in the form of ways. We either see them in light rays or feel them in heat rays.
We use these rays in two different ways. The most common use is the storage of heat. A solar panel can convert sunlight into heat; the bottom of the solar panel is black to absorb as much heat as possible. A glass covered water pipe then coils up along the side of the solar panel. When it’s sunny, the water in the pipe is heated and this hot water can be stored in a tank.
Another use of solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Solar cells are usually made of silicon which can be found in sand. When sunlight hits a solar cell it frees electrons from silicon atoms, these electrons flow away. Electricity is the flow of electrons from one place to another so each cell produces a small amount of electricity.
Solar energy is now used in many ways. Calculators and watches often run off solar cells and bigger cells have been used to provide power for solar powered vehicles. There are advantages for solar energy, it’s a renewable energy source so will not run out, its natural therefore cost effective, no problems can occur with transportation / storage because none is required. But there are also disadvantages. Most methods of solar power require a large surface area, causing the price of this energy to higher. The efficiency relates to the sun and it’s also a problem during nocturnal down-times; this means cells can only generate during the daytime.
Therefore this type of energy is not really efficient in the UK, but we could make use of the sun we do have especially in the summer months. We could have solar panels on water pipes outside our homes to heat water to be stored in a tank for example.
