The number of wind farms installed has increased rapidly over the past decade. This has made wind energy one of the most rapidly growing sources of renewable energy in the U.S. However, there are many factors that will influence the future development of wind energy.
Wind power production costs are primarily due to the cost of labor and materials needed to build it. Accurate wind resource assessments are crucial. This is particularly true for evaluating long-term profitability. However, it is not easy to use innovative statistical methods to quantify uncertainty. In order to make the most of the wind's potential, an accurate assessment is necessary to determine whether a project will be profitable.
Also, a wind resource assessment will determine the benefits and disadvantages to developing wind energy. It is important to evaluate the cost of developing wind power and the benefits that wind turbines can bring to the environment. These factors may not be considered when developing wind power in difficult locations.
Recent boom in the wind energy sector has seen an increase in capacity, with 3,400 megawatts expected to be added in the U.S. by 2006. This is a 40% rise rate and shows how quickly the industry has developed. The United States currently has over 1815 megawatts of onshore wind resource, and a potential offshore wind resource of far more than this. Only 10-15% is available for utility-scale use.
Wind energy will play an important part in the future of sustainable energy. However, despite this potential, many city and county policy makers know very little about the local wind resource. In this article we will look at the top obstacles to wind-energy development and how they can been overcome.
First, the latest wind turbine technology produces larger and more sophisticated turbines. Production costs for a wind turbine are estimated at between three and seven cents per Kilowatt Hour. This cost is relatively low in comparison to the cost of fossil fuels, but still significantly higher than that of other traditional sources.
The second issue is that wind turbines can generate a lot of noise. Additionally, wind turbines have been known to have an impact on the regional climate and local weather. It can be difficult to do a precise wind resource assessment, but it is essential. A number of statistical methods are used to quantify uncertainty in order to create an accurate wind resource assessment. In addition, an accurate wind resource assessment also incorporates new NASA Earth science dataset MERRA.
In the future, the wind industry will grow at a rapid pace. This growth will be mainly in offshore locations, with very limited onshore wind resources that can be used for utility-scale development. Wind energy developers should therefore focus on areas with lower risk.
A wind energy blueprint is useful for policymakers as well as the general public. This document provides a comprehensive overview of the current state in wind power research and technology development. This report highlights wind-related technologies for the future and gives an overview to the industry's stakeholders.