Wind power

Wind power is the
conversion of wind
energy into a
useful form of
energy, such as
using wind
turbines to make
electricity, wind
mills for
mechanical power,
wind pumps for
pumping water or
drainage, or sails
to propel ships.
At the end of
2009, worldwide
nameplate
capacity
of wind-powered
generators was
159.2 gigawatts
(GW).[1] (By June
2010 the capacity
had risen to 175
GW. [2]) Energy
production was
340 TWh, which is
about 2% of
worldwide
electricity usage;
[1][3] and has
doubled in the
past three years.
Several countries
have achieved
relatively high
levels of wind
power
penetration, such
as 20% of
stationary
electricity
production in
Denmark, 14% in
Ireland[4] and
Portugal, 11% in
Spain, and 8% in
Germany in 2009.
[5] As of May 2009,
80 countries
around the world
are using wind
power on a
commercial basis.
[3]
Large-scale wind
farms are
connected to the
electric power
transmission
network; smaller
facilities are used
to provide
electricity to
isolated locations.
Utility companies
increasingly buy
back surplus
electricity
produced by small
domestic turbines.
Wind energy, as an
alternative to
fossil fuels, is
plentiful,
renewable, widely
distributed, clean,
and produces no
greenhouse gas
emissions
during operation.
However, the
construction of
wind farms is not
universally
welcomed because
of their visual
impact but any
effects on the
environment
are generally
among the least
problematic of any
power source.
Wind power:
worldwide
installed capacity
1996-2008
The intermittency
of wind seldom
creates problems
when using wind
power to supply a
low proportion of
total demand, but
as the proportion
rises, increased
costs, a need to
upgrade the grid,
and a lowered
ability to supplant
conventional
production may
occur.[6][7][8]
Power
management
techniques such as
exporting and
importing power to
neighboring areas
or reducing
demand when
wind production is
low, can mitigate
these problems.

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