2007-10-22 21:59:12 · 6 answers · asked by lulu 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
That depends on the design of the wind turbine.
Though none of them can get more energy out of the wind then the power of the wind which varies as to the cube of the wind speed (meaning half the wind speed and there is only one eighth as much power to collect, this is why wind power is so damn useless for actually powering our civilisation).
In terms of overall life cycle energy usage wind is pretty good (about the same as nuclear fission) although the unreliability means that it has to be backed up by something reliable which usually isn't taken into account (and if that backup power is coal or methane which it usually is when it is connected to an electricity network then wind becomes 75% coal or 75% methane in terms of environmental effects).
2007-10-22 22:44:35 · answer #1 · answered by bestonnet_00 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not very. It uses more energy to produce a wind turbine than it can reproduce over its life time. They run for a maximum of 12 hours a day, creating about 0.1% of our energy needs. It takes months, up to 18 to design, manufacture and construct one. Imagine the energy put into 1 turbine?. It would take 1000 years to recuparate that loss. The number of times it will be serviced, the impact on wildlife, and, the unaesthetically pleasing object, will outsource the need.
2007-10-22 22:07:04 · answer #2 · answered by Old Man of Coniston!. 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In terms of conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy, it's somewhere around 35% efficient, which is good enough, considering that wind energy is free.
2007-10-22 22:02:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
not very... you need a lot of space to make enough windmills to generate a decent amount of electricity. however they are environmentally friendly:D but so are things like galvaic cells and nuclear power plants which are a lot more efficient and will most likely take over from fossil fuels in the not too distant future
2007-10-22 22:03:05 · answer #4 · answered by fxdvbkjbhyr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Financially not at all, it wont pay for its self...
environmentally yes clean and a renewable energy source..
2007-10-23 00:45:01 · answer #5 · answered by matrix 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
very, especially as it is free except for the initial set up, people go on about them being unsightly, but we have them by us and I think they are pretty and dont spoil the landscape, and they dont make as much noise as people go on about, I have stood about 10 yds away and could only hear a slight hum
2007-10-22 22:22:49 · answer #6 · answered by SUE G online 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋