Facts About Windmills & Solar Energy
Windmills, also known as wind turbines or wind machines, are devices that generate energy from the wind. Wind is a reliable and renewable source of energy.
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Background
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Wind occurs because the sun heats the earth unevenly. Therefore, windmills are a type of solar, or sun-generated, energy.
History
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Windmills were first used in Persia, in modern-day Iran. Windmills were also traditionally used in Holland and in 19th- and 20th-century America.
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Function
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Windmills are fairly simple: Wind turns the blades, the blades turn an electric generator, and the electric generator produces electricity.
Considerations
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Windmills function best on open spaces of land that do not have nearby buildings to block wind. Windmills should be built in locations that have a constant wind speed of at least 11 miles per hour.
Effects
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In 2008, windmills in the United States generated enough electricity to meet the energy needs of 4.6 million households.
Drawbacks
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Many people consider windmills on coastlines to detract from the area's beauty. Windmills can also be harmful to bird populations.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Dan Kamminga
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Comments
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Wind mills are dangerous to birds, what about the pollution that coal power puts in our atmosphere!
