Is Wind Power Really Green Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Is Wind Power Really Green - Essay Example Search for sustainable alternative sources of energy for development on a commercial scale has thrown up several options like the wind power, solar power, geothermal, tidal wave etc. and among these, wind power (and solar power) is coming to the forefront in view of its long history of development and scalability. However, there are distracters, mainly from the traditional fuel suppliers, who find fault with the environmental credentials of windmills. These misgivings are ill-founded and it is quite clear from its growing popularity and rapid technological strides of the industry, that wind power is a sustainable and commercially viable option, which has minimal adverse impact on the environment in comparison with nuclear or fossil fuel power. The current total global energy demand per year, put at 400 x 1015 British Thermal Units (400 quadrillion BTU or approximately 117.2 million GWh), of which 41%, 24% and 22% are the respective shares of oil, coal and natural gas; the share of hydropower and other non-conventional energy sources is just about 13% (US Department of Energy, as quoted by McLamb, 2010). According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electricity production has risen by about 250% over a 30 year period and this growth has far outstripped the growth of production of coal and natural gas, and was facilitated by vast investments in nuclear power plants, especially in the 1970s and 1980s (World Energy Statistics Manual, IEA, 2005, p.46). IEA points out that during this period, the ‘share of oil decreased from 25 to 8% while the share of nuclear increased from 3 to 17%’ (ibid). Thus while the total energy demand has been rapidly rising and would continue to do so in the foreseeable future, dependence on nuclear power is also increasing. The reasons for increased dependence on nuclear power are not far to seek – firstly, a realization that fossil fuels are not an inexhaustible