Wind energy has become our cheapest, fastest-growing, and leading non-hydro renewable energy technology. It could play a major role in our transition away from fossil fuels because it has low levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and minimal environmental impact. So, we had to ask: How effective and efficient is wind energy?

Wind energy effectively converts wind into energy while improving air quality and promoting energy security; however, it can also be intermittent. Wind energy is efficient because it generates few waste products, promotes energy decentralization, and has a high energy conversion rate.

Keep reading to find out how effective and efficient wind energy is, what its pros and cons are, how safe or dangerous it is, and how it can mitigate climate change.

The Big Picture of the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Wind Energy

Wind energy is defined as the conversion of moving air into electrical energy through the use of wind turbines. 

“Wind: a current of air moving approximately horizontally, especially one strong enough to be felt”

Cambridge Dictionary

Harnessing wind power falls into two main categories:

1. Onshore wind energy: Wind turbines are located on land. Construction, transportation, maintenance costs, and infrastructure needed to transmit electricity from onshore turbines to consumers are low. 

2. Offshore wind energy: Wind turbines are located in the ocean or freshwater. Construction, transportation, maintenance costs, and infrastructure needed to transmit electricity from offshore turbines to consumers are high. 

Both types take the energy from wind and convert it to electricity, just in a different environment. Onshore wind is the main mechanism used today to harness wind energy.

Here’s How Effective and Efficient Wind Energy Is

In terms of effectiveness, wind turbines are effective at converting wind into electricity. In addition, wind energy has a low carbon footprint, protects air quality, and promotes energy security and independence. However, it can also be intermittent and come with high upfront costs. 

In terms of efficiency, wind turbines are efficient at converting wind into electricity. In addition, wind energy is a renewable and sustainable energy source, increases the efficiency of the power grid, and generates few waste products.

How Effective Is Wind Energy

Effectiveness involves completing a task with a desired outcome, typically a successful one. 

“Effective: producing the result that is wanted or intended; producing a successful result”

Oxford Dictionary

In terms of effectiveness, wind turbines are effective at converting wind into electricity. In addition, wind energy has a low carbon footprint, protects air quality, and promotes energy security and independence. However, it can also be intermittent and come with high upfront costs. 

Wind Energy Is an Effective Way to Convert Wind Into Electricity

Wind turbines are effective ways to harness the vast amount of energy stored in wind and turn it into energy, as evidenced by the increase in installed capacity and electricity generation in recent years. 

Wind energy has become the cheapest, fastest-growing, and leading non-hydro renewable energy technology with a low carbon emissions profile due to research and development, policies, and decreasing costs. 

In 2022, electricity generation from wind increased by 265 TWh (14%) to reach 2,700 TWh. China and The United States together were responsible for 62% of wind generation growth, followed by a 14% growth in The European Union. 

There are five countries that together account for nearly 600 GW, or two-thirds of our global wind energy capacity, which surpassed 900 GW in 2022. Roughly 93% (837 GW) came from onshore wind systems and 7% (63 GW) from offshore wind systems. 

Traditionally, onshore wind has dominated the market; however, technological improvements and reduced costs have allowed offshore wind to begin to occupy an increasingly larger share of the market, although it still lags far behind onshore wind. Offshore wind currently makes up approximately 10% of total wind energy generation.

Wind Energy Has a Low Carbon Footprint

Wind energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints out of all energy types.

The carbon footprint is one of the ways we measure the effects of human-induced global climate change. It primarily focuses on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumption and includes other emissions such as methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

“Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gasses and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”

Merriam Webster

On a life-cycle basis, onshore wind energy emits 11 and offshore wind energy emits 12 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kWh of electricity produced, the joint-lowest out of all fuel types. 

Have a look at the illustration below to see the average life-cycle CO₂ equivalent emissions of different energy sources and how they compare to wind energy.

Overall, onshore and offshore wind energy have the joint-lowest carbon footprints out of all energy types, making wind one of our cleanest sources of energy. 

Wind Energy Protects Air Quality

Wind energy produces a fraction of the pollution and toxic chemicals that fossil fuels produce, helping to protect air quality. 

Air pollution can cause numerous health problems including asthma, breathing difficulties, brain damage, heart problems, and cancer. Fossil fuel (coal and natural gas) combustion emits coal ash residue, toxic heavy metals, CO₂, carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) into the atmosphere, impairing public health.

Rather than combusting toxic materials like coal does, wind turbines use aerodynamic force from rotor blades to turn kinetic energy into electricity. Wind turbines produce minimal greenhouse gasses and emit no CO, SO₂, or NO_x, thereby helping to protect air quality.

Wind Energy Promotes Energy Independence and Energy Security

Wind energy can help us transition away from fossil fuels and toward an energy-independent future.

Being able to produce your own electricity without the aid of foreign countries is an important step in becoming more self-sufficient. For example, in the US, Former President George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce US dependence on oil, expand the production of renewable energy, and confront global climate change. 

Although wind energy alone cannot shoulder the burden of the world’s electricity needs, it can shoulder some. Wind energy is currently the second-largest renewable electricity technology behind hydropower. Wind electricity generation increased by 265 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022 to reach a record 2,713 TWh.

Wind Energy Is an Intermittent Energy Source

Wind energy production is heavily influenced by location, time of year, and weather patterns, making it unpredictable at times. 

Two of the main drawbacks associated with renewable energy are intermittency and lower levels of energy output, with wind energy being no exception.

Wind patterns and speeds vary greatly across the world and can be modified by bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in terrain. An average annual wind speed of 9 miles per hour (mph) or 4 meters per second (m/s) for small turbines and 13mph (5.8m/s) for utility-scale turbines is necessary to economically harness wind energy. 

But wind does not always blow at a constant speed, and sometimes it doesn’t at all. The unpredictable nature of wind means we cannot rely on it fully to produce all of our energy, but it can shoulder some of the burden of our energy demands.

Wind Energy Has High Upfront Costs and Can Be Expensive to Maintain

Wind energy has a high upfront cost associated with wind turbine installation and maintenance.

The cost of installing wind turbines varies greatly depending on how many turbines are installed, location, and other factors. Although there are tax and other incentives that can help reduce the cost of a wind project, installation typically costs thousands of dollars upfront. 

• Smaller-scale wind turbines under 100 kilowatts can cost $3,000-$8,000 per kilowatt hour of installed capacity.
• Commercial, utility-scale wind turbines cost between $1.3 million to $2.2 million per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity. 

A typical onshore commercial turbine today is roughly 2 MW, which ends up costing $3-$4 million to install. Offshore wind turbines can be as large as 16-18 MW and cost upwards of $20 million. Because they are considerably larger, the construction, transportation, maintenance costs, and infrastructure needed to transmit electricity from offshore turbines to consumers are all higher. 

Routine maintenance costs roughly 1-2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced and includes insurance, land rent, and repair/replacement of spare parts. This works out to $42,000 – $48,000 per year for an average US utility-scale wind farm. 

How Efficient Is Wind Energy 

Efficiency involves performing a task while using the least amount of resources and producing the least amount of waste as possible.

“Efficient: working in a way that does not waste a resource (= something valuable such as fuel, water, or money)”

Cambridge Dictionary

In terms of efficiency, wind turbines are efficient at converting wind into electricity. In addition, wind energy is a renewable and sustainable energy source, increases the efficiency of the power grid, and generates few waste products.

Wind Energy Efficiently Converts Sunlight Into Energy 

Wind energy boasts a high-efficiency rate per wind turbine and is an efficient use of land. 

Today’s wind turbines have an average commercial energy conversion rate of 25-45%, depending on a variety of environmental factors. To increase the efficiency of wind energy we would have to increase the energy conversion rate. Experts have calculated the ceiling of wind energy efficiency, known as the Betz Limit, to be approximately 60%. So we are already approaching the limits of what is theoretically possible.

In addition, wind energy is an efficient use of space. Although wind farms require large amounts of land, the turbines themselves do not take up large amounts of land. Because turbines must be spaced far apart from each other, the land in between them can be used for other purposes, including agriculture.

Wind Energy Is a Renewable and Sustainable Energy Source

Wind energy is a renewable and sustainable resource that can reduce emissions for generations to come. 

Renewable energy sources are resources that naturally replace themselves over time. 

“Renewable Energy: energy that is produced using the sun, wind, etc., or from crops, rather than using fuels such as oil or coal | types of energy that can be replaced naturally such as energy produced from wind or water”

Cambridge Dictionary

Wind energy is classified as a renewable energy source because it is a form of solar energy, which itself is renewable. Wind results from the uneven heating of the earth’s surface, irregularities of the earth’s surface, and the earth’s rotation. The sun will continue to produce energy until the sun goes supernova (which won’t be for another 5 billion years); therefore, wind energy is a virtually inexhaustible energy source. 

Wind energy is also classified as a sustainable energy source. Sustainable energy sources meet the needs of our current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

Wind energy emits minimal greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and has a minimal effect on the environment, provided that proper siting and disposal methods are followed. This means future generations can continue to harness wind energy for many years.

Wind Energy Increases the Efficiency of the Power Grid

Wind energy promotes the decentralization of our energy supply, which increases power grid efficiency by reducing peak time usage and decreasing the likelihood of power outages. 

The traditional grid works something like this:

1. Power plants generate electricity
2. Transformers step up voltage for transmission
3. Transmission lines transport electricity over long distances
4. Neighborhood transformer steps down voltage
5. Transformers on poles step down electricity before it enters homes

Our traditional grid worked fine in the past when energy demand was much lower, but globally our electricity usage is steadily increasing, and renewable energy makes up an increasingly bigger share of our total energy consumption. 

Renewable energy, including wind energy, draws energy from various geographic locations, so the grid can distribute power from multiple plants. Although the addition of large amounts of renewable energy to the grid at one time may seem like it would have a destabilizing effect, renewable energy actually becomes more predictable as it is added to the grid. This is thanks to the law of large numbers. 

“Law of large numbers: as the number of identically distributed, randomly generated variables increases, their sample mean (average) approaches their theoretical mean.”

Britannica

In terms of renewable energy, the output of every wind turbine that is connected to the power grid Is less volatile and more stable than the output of one individual generator. This decentralization in turn reduces peak time usage and decreases the likelihood of power outages. It also increases the efficiency of power production and power distribution.

In short, wind energy can be sourced from various geographical locations which helps increase the efficiency of the global power grid.

Wind Energy Generates Few Waste Products

Wind energy generates minimal waste products upon operation, and some components of wind turbines can be recycled.

In terms of emissions, wind energy produces few waste products, generating approximately 12 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kWh of electricity produced and zero CO, SO₂, or NO_x emissions. They also do not require water for cooling and, unlike solar panels which can be classified as hazardous waste depending on the type of metals present, wind turbines are not classified as hazardous waste. 

Recycling end-of-life wind turbines can reduce their impact on the environment. The technology to recycle wind turbines does exist, but the practice is not currently in widespread use. Most turbines consist of 8,000+ parts and were constructed 20-25 years ago with materials that cannot be easily separated into their constituent components. Despite the fact that 96% of a turbine is made from recyclable materials, old turbines are most often dumped in landfills because recycling is such a difficult process. 

But the wind industry has seen recent advances in recycling technology, as companies are starting to design future wind turbines with recycling in mind. Just in 2022, Carbon Rivers, a US-based company, commercialized a process to reclaim glass fibers from decommissioned wind turbine blades. Because turbine blades are typically 50% glass or carbon fiber composite by weight, recycling them can significantly reduce their environmental impact.

What Are The 6 Pros and 5 Cons of Wind Energy

Wind energy is a renewable and sustainable energy source, has a low carbon footprint, protects air quality, is efficient, generates few waste products, and promotes energy independence and security.

However, wind energy is also an intermittent energy source, faces high upfront and maintenance costs, can cause noise and visual pollution, and can negatively impact wildlife.

What Are the 6 Pros of Wind Energy

Wind energy is a renewable and sustainable energy source, has a low carbon footprint, protects air quality, is efficient, generates few waste products, and promotes energy independence and security.

What Are the 5 Cons of Wind Energy

Wind energy is an intermittent energy source, faces high upfront and maintenance costs, can cause noise and visual pollution, and can negatively impact wildlife.

How Can Wind Energy Help Mitigate Climate Change

Climate change is a severe, long-term consequence of fossil fuel combustion. If left untreated, atmospheric CO₂ can remain there for tens of thousands of years and exacerbate the negative effects of climate change. Wind energy emits less CO₂ upon operation than fossil fuels and can therefore reduce our total emissions. 

How is Climate Change Defined

Climate change is arguably the most severe, long-term global impact of CO₂. Every year, we emit approximately 37 billion tons of CO₂. The carbon found in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen in the air to produce CO₂. 

“Climate change: changes in the earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns, and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gasses, especially carbon dioxide.”

Oxford Dictionary

When carbon enters the atmosphere, it absorbs sunlight and wind radiation, trapping the heat and acting as an insulator for the planet.

Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s temperature has risen a little more than 1 degree Celsius (°C), or 2 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). Between 1880-1980 the global temperature rose by 0.07°C every 10 years. This rate has more than doubled since 1981, with a current global annual temperature rise of 0.18°C, or 0.32°F, for every 10 years. 

How Does Wind Energy Specifically Help Mitigate Climate Change

The global average concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere today registers at over 400 parts per million, the highest ever recorded. Wind energy can help lower this concentration because it can replace some of the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas) with a cleaner form of renewable energy.

Throughout its life cycle, wind energy produces 0.02% of the CO₂ emissions per unit of electricity than coal produces. And after 3 to 6 months of operation, a wind turbine has effectively offset all emissions from its construction, which means it can operate virtually carbon-free for the rest of its lifetime.

Increasing wind energy usage can reduce CO₂ emissions, and the more we reduce CO₂ emissions, the more we combat the negative effects associated with climate change including temperature rise, sea-level rise, ice melting, and ocean acidification. When these rates are slowed, the earth’s biodiversity does not have to struggle to adapt to temperature and pH changes. People will not be displaced due to the flooding of coastal areas. And icebergs will continue to provide climate regulation. 

How Safe or Dangerous Is Wind Energy

Overall, wind energy is not considered to be dangerous. Holistically and throughout its life cycle, wind is safe and beneficial for human and animal health, the environment, and the energy grid. It is also significantly safer than fossil fuels and other types of renewable energy.

Here’s How Safe Wind Energy Is

Overall, wind energy is a safe form of energy regarding human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and throughout all stages of its life cycle.

Here’s How Dangerous Wind Energy Is

Overall, wind energy is considered minimally dangerous in terms of human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and through all stages of its life cycle. 

Final Thoughts

Wind energy is effective because it has a low carbon footprint, protects air quality, and promotes energy security and independence. It has grown to make up almost 5% of our total global electricity generation, making it an effective renewable energy technology.

Wind energy is efficient because it is a renewable and sustainable energy source that increases the efficiency of our power grid and generates very few waste products. Over the years, technological advancements have increased the energy conversion rate of wind turbines, meaning they can more efficiently convert wind into energy. 

Beginning to reverse the climate crisis means we have to cut CO₂ emissions now, and wind energy can help us do that. Onshore and offshore wind have the joint-lowest carbon footprint out of all energy types and emit a fraction of the CO₂ and air toxics that fossil fuels emit. Although its unpredictable nature means we cannot rely on it solely for energy generation, incorporating more wind energy into our power grid has many environmental benefits.

Stay impactful,

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