Running On Wind
August 14, 2008
This news post originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine.
A May report released by the Department of Energy makes the projection that, with improvements in technology and more funding, the U.S. could be relying on wind power to provide 20% of its energy by 2030.
The report indicates that an increased reliance on wind power for the nation’s electricity-generation could displace up to 50% of our natural gas consumption and 18% of our coal consumption, as well as reduce the amount of water required to generate electricity through hydropower.
The optimism of the report is tempered by the realities of what must be accomplished in order to realize this projection. Improvements in wind turbine technology, an increase in the pace of wind turbine installation, and reductions in wind energy costs are just a few of the steps that must be taken in order to establish a more viable wind energy industry. Estimates place such advancements at near $197 billion, although this cost would be largely offset by a reduction in fuel expenditures.
A shift toward wind-generated electricity would drastically reduce the nation’s dependency on global warming-causing fossil fuels.
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