Wind energy for human needs

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977 · Technol. Rev.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7326711

Merriam, M F

ERDA-commissioned studies have determined that, contrary to popular opinion, large-scale wind power could contribute a significant amount of power to meet human needs. Windmills have been in use over 2000 years, and have been vital to such endeavors as western irrigation. Failures of past large-scale projects are under study and new designs are sought to overcome problems of stress, erratic wind, energy storage, and esthetics. Since the wind is free, inexhaustible, and non-polluting, a national effort to overcome technological and economic problems is justified. Windmills, which are rated on output per unit capital cost rather than efficiency, can be improved by extracting more power from the wind or by making the machines less costly. A two-blade propeller can deliver 3000 to 3500 megawatt-hours a year, with 100,000 wind generators capable of supplying 15 percent of the U.S. electricity. Near-future applications for wind energy are small- and large-volume water pumping, battery chargers in remote locations, and supplementary sources for power grids. The search for suitable windmill sites could be alleviated with better instruments to integrate wind speed. An incentive program similar to that used for uranium prospecting could locate new sites overlooked by bureaucratic surveys. A subsidy to windmill users might be a better government approach than the construction of expensive prototypes. 8 references. (DCK)

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley
• OSTI ID: 7326711
• Journal Information: Technol. Rev.; (United States), Journal Name: Technol. Rev.; (United States) Vol. 79:3; ISSN TEREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
170400 -- Wind Energy-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
170600 -- Wind Energy Engineering
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
299003* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation-- Other-- (-1989)
COST
DESIGN
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECONOMIC POLICY
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EQUIPMENT
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER
POWER GENERATION
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
REVIEWS
SITE SELECTION
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USES
WIND POWER
WIND TURBINES