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Climate and Energy | The Nature Conservancy

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Learn about climate and energy issues in Vermont.

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Lands and Forests | The Nature Conservancy

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Learn about land and forest conservation in Vermont.

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This black hole is even deeper for single parents, mostly women, who must try to provide all the things their children need on their own. Add older adults to this picture, still trying to live independently but no longer able to work and often in fragile health requiring expensive care, with only a monthly Social Security check to live on.

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The Hunger in America 2014 study revealed that 1 in 4 Vermonters use the Vermont Foodbank network each year, including nearly 34,000 children and more than 26,000 senior citizens.

We know the face of hunger in Vermont is changing: your neighbor, your coworker, your brother, your grandmother. Every day, people around us are struggling with tough choices, between food and medicine, food and heat or electricity, food and housing.

This video illustrates the findings of the study, as well as our vision for a Vermont without hunger:

With the support of the Vermont Foodbank and our network, families and individuals have the fuel (food!) to make positive choices.

We believe everyone can choose to help create a Vermont without hunger.
Learn more here.

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The Hunger in America 2014 study revealed that 1 in 4 Vermonters use the Vermont Foodbank network each year, including nearly 34,000 children and more than 26,000 senior citizens. We know the face of hunger in Vermont is changing: your neighbor, your coworker, your brother, your grandmother.

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Nearly 40,000 children in Vermont receive free or reduced lunch at school. During summer vacation, that number drops, and only one-quarter of low-income children have access to free lunch, according to Hunger Free Vermont.

There are summer programs that last throughout the school break. Others operate for a month, meaning kids might have meals for part of the summer.

In Burlington, summer meals are available for children at several places, including Fletcher Free Library and Parks and Recreation sites.

The Burlington Free Press spoke with Anore Horton, nutrition initiatives director at Hunger Free Vermont. An edited interview:

Burlington Free Press: Give a brief overview of the problem of hunger in Vermont - its prevalence and nature - with a focus on how it affects children. What is the definition of a "food insecure" household - how is it measured? How does hunger in Vermont compare to the national level?

Anore Horton: 34,000 Vermont households struggle to access enough food to meet basic needs, and hunger can be found in every Vermont town and school.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2014 report on food insecurity reported that 13.2 percent of Vermont households qualified as food insecure between 2011-13. This places Vermont at a lower level of food insecurity than the national average (14.6 percent) but significantly higher level than neighboring New England states New Hampshire (10.2 percent) and Massachusetts (10.6 percent). Looking back further, Vermont's food insecurity rate has increased significantly from 9.1 percent in 2001 to roughly 13 percent today.

Childhood hunger is even more severe, with over 20 percent of children - one in five - living in food-insecure homes today in Vermont.

Food insecurity is defined as an individual or family's inability to consistently and reliably access enough healthy food. Food insecurity occurs along a spectrum ranging from those who worry about food and stretch their budgets, to those who reduce the quality and variety of the foods they eat, to an actual shortage of food where parents - and even children - are skipping meals.

Hunger affects children and the adults they will become. Hunger and food insecurity have especially harsh consequences for children, who may experience developmental delays, learning or behavioral difficulties and increased illness. Numerous studies show that food-insecure children struggle to keep up with their peers in measures of academic achievement and are at increased risk for hunger and unhealthy weight gain during the summer. We know that insufficient food and insufficient key nutrients in childhood can cause irreversible losses in brain surface area, and in the ability to absorb and process learning.

BFP: Nearly 40,000 children in Vermont qualify for free or reduced school lunches. What is the value for kids of the meals they receive at school, and what are the consequences when that source ceases during summer vacation?

AH: School meals are an invaluable resource in the struggle to combat food insecurity experienced by children and their families across Vermont. In addition to ensuring access to complete meals full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and healthy proteins, school breakfast and lunch provide children the fuel they need to learn while also relieving families of the financial burden of preparing or paying for two extra meals per day. This is equally true during during after-school hours and summer vacation, when federal meal programs are available to accompany children as they continue to engage in opportunities for enrichment and physical activity.

In the absence of healthy summer meals - which reach only 1 in 4 low-income children in Vermont - research shows that childhood hunger and unhealthy weight gain increases. In addition, children with restricted access to summer enrichment lose ground academically. Summer learning and summer nutrition are intimately linked, and both are crucial to children's well-being and academic success.

BFP: What percent of schools in Vermont serve breakfast after school starts, and how many more children eat breakfast when it is available at this time?

AH: Solid data on the number of Vermont schools providing "breakfast after the bell" is hard to come by, but I would say perhaps 25 percent of engage in this best practice for reaching as many children as possible with what is truly the most important meal of the day in terms of learning and health outcomes. Schools that have recently moved their breakfast service after the bell have as much as quintupled participation. Moving breakfast after the bell is one of the single most effective learning and health interventions we can make in our schools - and unlike many other educational interventions, increasing breakfast participation actually improves school finances!

BFP: Describe some of the meal programs in place for kids when school is out.

AH: The Area Eligible Afterschool Meal Program and the Summer Food Service Program are two federal Child Nutrition Programs that provide reimbursement for meals served to children when school is out. Afterschool meals are served alongside planned enrichment activities that occur at schools or in the community, and summer meals are available either in conjunction with planned activities or at drop-in meal sites. The Afterschool Meal Program became available in Vermont in 2010 with passage of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. After-school meals are served at nearly 60 sites across the state. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was authorized by Congress in 1975 and has grown to more than 270 meal sites across Vermont in 2014. To locate summer meal sites, families can dial 211 or text 'FOOD' to 877-877.

Hunger Free Vermont has provided free resources and assistance to hundreds of schools and community organizations looking to improve school meal program participation, provide universal school meals and establish after-school and summer meal programs. Seeing the results of this work is what makes my job so rewarding.

BFP: What are the essential things people should know about shopping for and preparing healthy food? What happens when you teach children (and adults) how to cook nutritious meals?

AH: It is possible to eat healthy on a budget, but it requires some know-how, time and proper equipment. In general, whole unprocessed foods, such as fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, dairy products, legumes and meats are healthier than packaged and processed foods. These foods are healthier but not always as convenient and quick to store and prepare at home, especially if you're a working parent. Most packaged food is found in the aisles of a grocery store, so sticking to the perimeter and avoiding the aisles will make it easier to buy healthy foods. Buying fresh produce in season or frozen produce can help save money, as well as utilizing the bulk section, where you can often find affordable pantry staples including rice, flour and beans. Farmers markets are another great place to buy in-season, affordable produce, and many accept 3SquaresVT benefits and offer coupons.

Reading labels is an important skill in buying affordable, healthy food. Hunger Free Vermont's nutrition education program, The Learning Kitchen, teaches participants about unit pricing and nutrition labels to ensure they are getting the most for their dollars and are not loading up on unhealthy food devoid of nutrients. When preparing food at home, basic cooking skills such as reading recipes, menu planning and working with spices can help any home cook prepare healthy but delicious food that will satisfy family members. Knowing how to cook a quick and healthy meal at home is empowering and helps people take charge of their health. The children and adults that graduate from The Learning Kitchen are excited to bring their new skills into their own kitchen and share that they feel more confident in their ability to provide healthy meals and snacks for their families.

BFP: Vermont in recent years has built a strong 'localvore' movement, with growing numbers of people getting food at farmers markets and through direct farm sales. What has happened to hunger in Vermont during this time - the past five to 10 years?

AH: Many low-income and lower-middle-class families struggled to put food on the table during the recession, and continue to struggle as Vermont's economy slowly recovers. In 2007, nearly 12 percent of Vermonters were food-insecure. In 2008, we saw that number peak at over 16 percent of the population. Since 2008, the number of food insecure Vermonters has hovered between 12-15 percent. While the recession has technically ended, we have not returned to pre-recession hunger numbers. Many working Vermonters also are food-insecure. While the unemployment rate has dropped to pre-recession levels, participation in 3SquaresVT remains high. Many working Vermonters have not found jobs that offer enough hours or high enough wages to make ends meet, and must rely on programs such as 3SquaresVT to afford food.

BFP: What can Vermont do - in the public and private realms - to minimize and prevent food insecurity?

AH: Food insecurity is tied to economic insecurity; the cost of living in Vermont is high, and many Vermonters aren't able to earn enough money to make ends meet. Working Vermonters need access to jobs that pay livable wages and offer the support and flexibility needed to care for their families. Those who are retired or unable to work need access to a strong safety net that allows them to live with dignity.

Citizens can advocate for policies that support low-income and middle-class Vermonters as they work toward economic self-sufficiency. They can hold their representatives accountable for supporting all of their constituents. Vermonters also can take action in their communities by volunteering or donating to the many services that help hungry Vermonters access food. For example, Meals on Wheels and Community Meal programs feed seniors throughout the state and rely heavily on volunteers and donations.

Hunger Free Vermont also supports hunger councils in communities across the state that bring together community members, business leaders, state agency workers, politicians, social-service providers and others to learn about hunger in their own backyards, share what they see and to take action at a local and state level.

Contact Sally Pollak at spollak@burlingtonfreepress.com or 660-1859.

A fundraiser for the Burlington Summer Meals Coalition will be held at Fletcher Free Library from 7-10 p.m. May 30.

Tickets are $25 for the benefit, which will feature music by Mango Jam, a cash bar and a raffle. Buy tickets through the Flynn Box Office (www.flynntix.org), at the Burlington School Food Project Office, the library, or the Parks and Recreation office on Pine Street.

Read or Share this story: http://bfpne.ws/1bZi2fu

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Summer means more hungry kids in Vermont

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Nearly 40,000 children in Vermont receive free or reduced lunch at school. During summer vacation, that number drops, and only one-quarter of low-income children have access to free lunch, according to Hunger Free Vermont. There are summer programs that last throughout the school break.

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We protect the land that makes Vermont special - farms, forests, parks, trails, ponds and more. Over the past 40 years, the Vermont Land Trust has conserved more than half a million acres including 900 farm properties and large stretches of uninterrupted forest. We want to make sure that people today and future generations are able to enjoy the land and Vermont's rural traditions like those who came before us. Learn more.

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Vermont Land Trust: Protecting the Vermont You Love

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We protect the land that makes Vermont special - farms, forests, parks, trails, ponds and more. Over the past 40 years, the Vermont Land Trust has conserved more than half a million acres including 900 farm properties and large stretches of uninterrupted forest.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is wilderness first aid?

Wilderness first aid (WFA) is a course for everyone planning a remote high adventure ranging from lay responders to medical professionals. It focuses on prevention, assessment, and treatment for an ill or injured person in a remote environment where definitive care by a physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available. This is defined as being an hour or more away from advanced care.

Why is WFA important?

WFA prepares participants to identify and address medical issues that can arise in the backcountry.

WFA courses contain substantial medical information and teach skills to respond to medical emergencies in the wild. WFA training can and has enabled Scouts and Scouters to provide assessment and treatment miles from advanced care.

Treatment skills are important, but so is educating Scouts and adult leaders to recognize illnesses early and minimize the potential for injury. WFA skills can save lives.

Finally, we depend upon emergency services in urban areas. In the event of catastrophes, these services may be strained. WFA knowledge can be lifesaving during hurricanes, floods, fires, or mass casualty events as well.
"When an emergency occurs in the wild, the goal must be to provide the greatest good for the greatest number in the shortest time, and do no harm in the process."
Who needs WFA?

Youth (14 years old and up) and adult Scout leaders are encouraged to take this 16-hour first-aid course, which offers a management dimension that most curriculums fail to address. Participants will likely find it the most valuable program they'll ever take.

WFA Certification

A participant who successfully completes a 16-hour WFA course based on BSA curriculum will be certified as a WFA provider. This certification is valid for two years through any of the course providers listed below. Participants will learn how to assess, treat, and-when possible-keep emergencies under control within the scope of their training.

High Adventure Base WFA Requirements

All four of the BSA high-adventure bases (HAB) require at least one person per trek (two per trek at Philmont Scout Ranch) to be current in WFA through an approved provider. Of course, having more participants trained in WFA skills is highly recommended for any high adventure or backcountry experience.

Many other councils that offer high-adventure programs are encouraged to require WFA training as part of their requirements. Check directly with the local council providing the high-adventure program for details. In addition, participants in unit-centered high-adventure programs would greatly benefit from WFA skills in the event of an emergency.

Course modules

The 2017 BSA WFA curriculum allows for additional scenario practice time which helps participants utilize their new skills in a controlled setting. Comments from previous participants found that the scenarios are helpful in providing immediate feedback, particularly to those with no medical background.

Core modules

Patient assessment-initial and focused

Chest injuries

Shock

Head (brain) and spinal injuries

Bone and joint injuries

Wounds and wound infection

Allergies and anaphylaxis

Scenarios

Elective modules

Abdominal problems

Hypothermia

Heat

Lightning

Altitude illnesses

Submersion

Wilderness first-aid kits

If you wish to download the curriculum, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions Wilderness first aid (WFA) is a course for everyone planning a remote high adventure ranging from lay responders to medical professionals. It focuses on prevention, assessment, and treatment for an ill or injured person in a remote environment where definitive care by a physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available.

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More than one in nine children in England have not set foot in a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least 12 months, according to a two-year government-funded study. Another equally shocking report found that the average British child spent less time outdoors than adult prisoners: 74% of children spent less than an hour in the fresh air, almost a third of children play outdoors for 30 minutes or less a day and one child in five doesn't play outside at all.

And yet children who regularly play outdoors have been shown to be happier, healthier, more confident and less anxious.

Andy Simpson, from The Wild Network, a movement to get more kids (and their parents!) outside and reconnecting with nature, says: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation.

"With many more parents becoming concerned about the dominance of screen time in their children's lives, and growing scientific evidence that a decline in active time is bad news for the health and happiness of our children, we all need to become marketing directors for nature."

Playing outside improves children's health, happiness and self confidence

While obesity is the most visible symptom of lack of physical activity, studies from around the world show being active outdoors produces significant improvements in psychological and emotional wellbeing in children - even improving their learning and ability to concentrate. A study by the University of Essex found just five minutes "green exercise" can produce rapid improvements in mental wellbeing and self-esteem, with the greatest benefits experienced by the young.

Free and unstructured play in the outdoors boosts problem-solving skills, focus, determination and gross motor skills. Climbing a tree, for example, is about measuring risk, working out a strategy to get up into the branches, learning to trust and push your body - and the glee of succeeding. As child psychologist Professor Tanya Byron has noted: "The less children play outdoors, the less they learn to cope with the risks and challenges they will go on to face as adults... Nothing can replace what children gain from the freedom and independence of thought they have when trying new things out in the open. "

From a social viewpoint, playing outdoors improves children's ability to play imaginatively and to cooperate and compromise with other kids. Emotional benefits include reduced aggression and increased happiness.

From a health perspective, outdoor play allows children's bodies to produce vitamin D from its best natural source, the sunlight. Vitamin D enhances mood by helping to release serotonin in the brain. Children need healthy levels of serotonin for good mental health and development.

Being physically active outdoors also helps relieve stress by reducing levels of cortisol, a "stress hormone", in the brain. On a daily basis children are exposed to stressful environments like busy streets, a barrage of screens and packed classrooms, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Playing outdoors, just being a kid unconfined by walls and worries, offers an antidote to this stress.

Regular exercise in the fresh air is also linked to better sleep patterns. When your children have fun letting off steam outdoors, they're more ready to settle down for a good night's sleep - waking refreshed and ready for a new day.

Being outdoors in nature gives your children a sense of wonder

"Nature deficit disorder" is a phrase coined by author Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. He argued that that the human cost of "alienation from nature" was measured in "diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses".

Being outdoors activates and feeds all your child's senses, from the feel of warm earth to the smell of freshly mown grass. "As the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow and this reduces the richness of human experience," warned Louv.

Feeling connected with the natural world creates a unique sense of wonder for children that no other environment can provide. Seeing a newborn lamb up close, turning over stones to search for mini-beasts, finding and touching frog spawn, these are the stimulating moments nature can offer that will always beat a video game for life enhancement and long-lasting memories.

Just 21% of today's kids regularly play outside, compared with 71% of their parents. That's why it's so important we help them build a treasure trove of fun-filled outdoor memories, just like we had.

If your suggestion of a family walk is met with groans, the National Trust has an inspirational " 50 things to do before you're 11 ¾ activity list ".

So why don't you...?

Climb the highest hill near where you live, racing to see who can get to the top first - then roll down it.

Make a daisy chain.

Visit a farm. You don't have to be living in the country to do this; city farms give ample opportunity for watching, feeding and petting animals.

Go camping.

Skim stones.

Dam a stream.

Go on a long bike ride.

Play pooh sticks.

Make a den.

Catch a crab.

Pick blackberries.

Have a snail race.

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More than one in nine children in England have not set foot in a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least 12 months, according to a two-year government-funded study.

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Adolescence is a period of time in our lives of remarkable changes: physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally. This is an important time to help young people set the stage for making healthy choices, and to access health care that will promote health across their lifespan. The Health Department is engaged with a number of partners, both in Vermont and nationally, to support the positive development of adolescents and young adults.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' Bright Futures - Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents recommends that adolescents receive a comprehensive well-care visit each year in their medical home. The Health Department's Division of Maternal and Child Health has made increasing the percentage of adolescents who have annual well-care visits a strategic plan priority. We are engaged with a number of national, state and local partners to address this public health priority and the important topics that may be addressed during these visits.
Here are some of our Vermont-based strategies and efforts to improve health for adolescents:

Contributions toward national and Vermont strategies to increase adolescent and young adult access to preventive health care

School-related efforts to increase adolescent well-care visit rates

Opportunities for youth engagement and empowerment

Efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, support pregnant and parenting youth, promote healthy relationships and life skills, and promote adolescent sexual health

Coordination with Vermont's network of youth-serving organizations and clinical services work to prevent teen suicide, and also serve individuals, friends and families in the event of a suicide or suicide attempt.

Youth Health Improvement Initiative - Vermont Child Health Improvement Program

We also partner with the Youth Health Improvement Initiative (YHII) at the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) located at the University of Vermont. YHII has worked for over 10 years to support pediatric and family practices to improve preventive services delivery to youth ages 8 to 18, including those with Medicaid insurance. Practices receive training on quality improvement, health care topics specific to adolescence, and the use of risk behavior, and strength screening. Currently, the YHII is focused on increasing annual well-care visit rates for adolescents. Their work is grounded in promoting the guidelines from Bright Futures, as well as a strengths-based approach, which is crucial to developing protective strengths and assets that help youth stay healthy.

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Adolescence is a period of time in our lives of remarkable changes: physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally. This is an important time to help young people set the stage for making healthy choices, and to access health care that will promote health across their lifespan.

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BURKE - The town will no longer have its own independent school district beginning July 1, and the school board is asking voters on Town Meeting Day to create a new account to preserve the funds the school had saved for future building needs.

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3-Phase Building Project Outlined For Burke Town School

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BURKE - The town will no longer have its own independent school district beginning July 1, and the school board is asking voters on Town Meeting Day to create a new account to preserve the funds the school had saved for future building needs.

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Burke Task Force, School Board, Looking Into Building Project

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BURKE - An effort to expand the town's educational facilities is underway after it was identified as one of three priorities during the recent One Burke Community Visit.

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Over the month of December, we worked with the Burke Town School, in West Burke, VT, to complete a Facilities Analysis of their campus. The school consists of multiple classroom buildings, some of which are in serious disrepair, but is in need of additional space as their student body is growing. We provided the school with a report that offers a detailed analysis of the facilities from a structural view, as well as from the view of educational and programmatic limitations. We surveyed students, teachers, and community members to get their input on what areas of the school needed the most improvement, and what renovations and expansions they thought would benefit the students.

We also did in-depth research into the population trends of the district, the district's educational goals, and the State's educational directives, to ensure that any changes we suggested would be supportive of these aims. Additionally, we studied the utilization of the current facilities, in order to show just how fully the current spaces are taken advantage of. Finally, we completed a proposed program for the school, which consisted of three phases to be completed over the next ten years, and which prioritized the work based on our conversations with school administration, staff, students, and community members. This report should serve as a guidepost as the school moves forward with renovations and expansions, and we look forward to seeing where they take the project in the coming months.

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Burke Town School - gbA - Architecture & Planning

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Over the month of December, we worked with the Burke Town School, in West Burke, VT, to complete a Facilities Analysis of their campus. The school consists of multiple classroom buildings, some of which are in serious disrepair, but is in need of additional space as their student body is growing.

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Town Meeting Day was kind to local schools this year, as all but five districts have won approval for their budgets. But while a majority of Vermonters may be okay with their local spending plans, the administration of Gov. Phil Scott is not.

Based on the budgets approved this week, overall education spending is slated to go up by about 1.5 percent next year. That's far less than the 3.5-percent hike that state officials had been bracing for as recently as a couple months ago. It's even less than the 2.5-percent growth rate that Scott asked for back in November.

"There is no question that local districts worked hard," says Adam Greshin, Scott's commissioner of finance. "I mean the governor appreciates that very much. And in fact he's very impressed with the work they've done."

But, Greshin says that despite districts' admirable restraint, statewide property tax rates are still projected to rise by an average of 5 to 6 cents next year.

"And the governor's been very clear that he doesn't think Vermonters can afford that, so we have still some work to do," Greshin says.

If lawmakers and the governor want to get that rate increase down to zero, solely by lowering education spending, they'll need to find a way to trim tens of millions of dollars from the budgets that voters approved Tuesday.

Greshin says there's only one way now that can happen.

"Our belief is it's time for state policymakers to take over," Greshin says.

But not all state policymakers are ready to take those reins.

"Nothing is ever good enough for them. Can't they celebrate the work that's being done in our school districts and the work that our school boards have done to restrain costs? I mean, come on," says Bristol Rep. David Sharpe, who chairs the House Committee on Education.

Sharpe says cost containment is a worthy goal, and one that he shares. But he says local school boards have delivered on that count. And he says widespread support from voters shows that Vermonters by and large approve of the budgets those boards have constructed.

Jeff Francis, the executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association, says it's one thing for elected officials in Montpelier to push for cost containment.

"It's another thing entirely to walk in the shoes of local school officials and try to do the job both for students and for taxpayers," Francis says.

Nicole Mace, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association, says the only reason property tax rates are going up as much as they are next year is because lawmakers and the governor used one-time funds last year to buy down rates for the current tax year.

Getting the property tax rate increase down to zero next year would at this point require a legislative mandate of some kind that forces boards to trim more than $40 million from the budgets they just got approved. Mace says there could be serious consequences to doing so.

"If boards and administrators can't prepare a budget that is then approved by voters, and have that be their budget, then that calls into question the integrity of the process," Mace says.

Greshin, however, says the school budgets approved Tuesday outstrip what Vermonters can afford. Earlier this year, the Scott administration offered lawmakers a list of cost containment concepts.

"You know, the big one out there is taking a look at staff-to-student ratios," Greshin says.

And with payroll expenses accounting for about 80 percent of overall education spending, Francis says staff reductions are likely the only way to come up with the magnitude of cuts needed to avert a tax hike.

"Getting to zero from 5 or 6 cents is going to be difficult. I don't want to downplay the significance of that. But we think it can happen," Greshin says.

Whether lawmakers will be willing to let it happen is another question.

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School Budgets Overwhelmingly Approved On Town Meeting, But Scott Says Cuts Still Needed

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Town Meeting Day was kind to local schools this year, as all but five districts have won approval for their budgets. But while a majority of Vermonters may be okay with their local spending plans, the administration of Gov. Phil Scott is not.

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Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. Its impacts will be felt around the world, and we here in New England will not be immune.

Our Solutions

Climate change is not a new challenge for CLF. We've been working to address its root causes for decades and have played a part in critical milestones to curb its progress. We helped design the country's first cap-and-trade program, shut down dirty, outdated coal plants across the region, and pushed for the development of new, clean energy projects.
Today, we are:

BUILDING OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE: We're pushing for policies and projects that boost low-cost locally made clean energy, save families and businesses money, and create jobs.

AVOIDING THE NATURAL GAS TRAP: We're stopping unnecessary new natural gas pipelines and making sure new gas power plants don't sink our region's climate goals.

CUTTING CARBON: We're fighting to shut down New England's remaining dirty coal plants that harm our health and pollute our climate. And we're saying yes to innovative ideas that will slash our region's climate-warming emissions.

Our Vision

We're working towards a New England powered by affordable, homemade energy, with a thriving economy built on innovation and invention... a New England where our communities are healthy and safe and our environment fortified against the impacts of our changing climate. This is the future CLF is fighting to create.

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Climate Change | Conservation Law Foundation

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Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. Its impacts will be felt around the world, and we here in New England will not be immune. Climate change is not a new challenge for CLF. We've been working to address its root causes for decades and have played a part in critical milestones to curb its progress.

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7.3 Tree stands and ground blinds that do not conform to this regulation are prohibited and may be confiscated and/or destroyed by the Department. Building, erecting, maintaining, using or occupying a non-conforming tree stand or ground blind is prohibited. Construction of any tree stand or ground blind does not confer exclusive use of its location to the person who built it.

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How does the classroom environment affect learning?

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Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically, wind power has been used in sails, windmills and windpumps but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines, which are connected to the electric power transmission network. New onshore (on-land) wind farms are cheaper than new coal or gas plants, but expansion of wind power is being hindered by fossil fuel subsidies. Onshore wind farms have a greater visual impact on the landscape than some other power stations. Small onshore wind farms can feed some energy into the grid or provide power to isolated off-grid locations. Offshore wind farms deliver more energy per installed capacity with less fluctuations and have less visual impact. Although there is less offshore wind power at present and construction and maintenance costs are higher, it is expanding. Offshore wind power currently has a share of about 10% of new installations.

Wind power is variable renewable energy, so power-management techniques are used to match supply and demand, such as: wind hybrid power systems, hydroelectric power or other dispatchable power sources, excess capacity, geographically distributed turbines, exporting and importing power to neighboring areas, or grid storage. As the proportion of wind power in a region increases the grid may need to be upgraded. Weather forecasting allows the electric-power network to be readied for the predictable variations in production that occur.

In 2021, wind supplied over 1800 TWh of electricity, which was over 6% of world electricity and about 2% of world energy. With about 100 GW added during 2021, mostly in China and the United States, global installed wind power capacity exceeded 800 GW. To help meet the Paris Agreement goals to limit climate change, analysts say it should expand much faster - by over 1% of electricity generation per year.

Regions in the higher northern and southern latitudes have the highest potential for wind power. Installed capacity has reached 650 GW in 2019. In most regions, wind power generation is higher in the winter when PV output is low. For this reason, combinations of wind and solar power are recommended.

Wind energy

Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion, also called wind. Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary surface with area A during the time t is:

[18]

where ρ is the density of air; v is the wind speed; Avt is the volume of air passing through A (which is considered perpendicular to the direction of the wind); Avtρ is therefore the mass m passing through A. ρv ² is the kinetic energy of the moving air per unit volume.

Power is energy per unit time, so the wind power incident on A (e.g. equal to the rotor area of a wind turbine) is:

[18]

Wind power in an open air stream is thus proportional to the third power of the wind speed; the available power increases eightfold when the wind speed doubles.

Wind is the movement of air across the surface of the Earth, driven by areas of high and low pressure. The global wind kinetic energy averaged approximately 1.50 MJ/m ² over the period from 1979 to 2010, 1.31 MJ/m ² in the Northern Hemisphere with 1.70 MJ/m ² in the Southern Hemisphere. The atmosphere acts as a thermal engine, absorbing heat at higher temperatures, releasing heat at lower temperatures. The process is responsible for the production of wind kinetic energy at a rate of 2.46 W/m ² thus sustaining the circulation of the atmosphere against friction.

Through wind resource assessment it is possible to estimate wind power potential globally, by country or region, or for a specific site. The Global Wind Atlas provided by the Technical University of Denmark in partnership with the World Bank provides a global assessment of wind power potential. Unlike 'static' wind resource atlases which average estimates of wind speed and power density across multiple years, tools such as Renewables.ninja provide time-varying simulations of wind speed and power output from different wind turbine models at an hourly resolution. More detailed, site-specific assessments of wind resource potential can be obtained from specialist commercial providers, and many of the larger wind developers have in-house modeling capabilities.

The total amount of economically extractable power available from the wind is considerably more than present human power use from all sources. The strength of wind varies, and an average value for a given location does not alone indicate the amount of energy a wind turbine could produce there.

To assess prospective wind power sites a probability distribution function is often fit to the observed wind speed data. Different locations will have different wind speed distributions. The Weibull model closely mirrors the actual distribution of hourly/ten-minute wind speeds at many locations. The Weibull factor is often close to 2 and therefore a Rayleigh distribution can be used as a less accurate, but simpler model.

A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines distributed over an extended area. The land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purposes. For example, Gansu Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in the world, has several thousand turbines. A wind farm may also be located offshore. Almost all large wind turbines have the same design - a horizontal axis wind turbine having an upwind rotor with 3 blades, attached to a nacelle on top of a tall tubular tower.

In a wind farm, individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage (often 34.5 kV) power collection system and communications network. In general, a distance of 7D (7 times the rotor diameter of the wind turbine) is set between each turbine in a fully developed wind farm. At a substation, this medium-voltage electric current is increased in voltage with a transformer for connection to the high voltage electric power transmission system.

Generator characteristics and stability

Induction generators are not used in current turbines. Instead, most turbines use variable speed generators combined with either a partial or full-scale power converter between the turbine generator and the collector system, which generally have more desirable properties for grid interconnection and have low voltage ride through-capabilities. Modern turbines use either doubly fed electric machines with partial-scale converters or squirrel-cage induction generators or synchronous generators (both permanently and electrically excited) with full-scale converters. Black start is possible and is being further developed for places (such as Iowa) which generate most of their electricity from wind.

Transmission systems operators will supply a wind farm developer with a grid code to specify the requirements for interconnection to the transmission grid. This will include the power factor, the constancy of frequency, and the dynamic behaviour of the wind farm turbines during a system fault.

Offshore wind power

Offshore wind power is wind farms in large bodies of water, usually the sea. These installations can utilize the more frequent and powerful winds that are available in these locations and have less visual impact on the landscape than land-based projects. However, the construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher.

Siemens and Vestas are the leading turbine suppliers for offshore wind power. Ørsted, Vattenfall, and E.ON are the leading offshore operators. As of November 2021, the Hornsea Wind Farm in the United Kingdom is the largest offshore wind farm in the world at 1,218 MW.

Collection and transmission network

In a wind farm, individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage (usually 34.5 kV) power collection system and communications network. At a substation, this medium-voltage electric current is increased in voltage with a transformer for connection to the high voltage electric power transmission system. A transmission line is required to bring the generated power to (often remote) markets. For an offshore station, this may require a submarine cable. Construction of a new high voltage line may be too costly for the wind resource alone, but wind sites may take advantage of lines already installed for conventional fuel generation.

Wind power resources are not always located near to high population density. As transmission lines become longer the losses associated with power transmission increase, as modes of losses at lower lengths are exacerbated and new modes of losses are no longer negligible as the length is increased, making it harder to transport large loads over large distances.

One of the biggest current challenges to wind power grid integration in some countries is the necessity of developing new transmission lines to carry power from wind farms, usually in remote lowly populated areas due to availability of wind, to high load locations, usually on the coasts where population density is higher. Any existing transmission lines in remote locations may not have been designed for the transport of large amounts of energy. In particular geographic regions, peak wind speeds may not coincide with peak demand for electrical power, whether offshore or onshore. A possible future option may be to interconnect widely dispersed geographic areas with an HVDC super grid.

Wind power capacity and production

Growth trends

In 2020, wind supplied almost 1600 TWh of electricity, which was over 5% of worldwide electrical generation and about 2% of energy consumption. With over 100 GW added during 2020, mostly in China, global installed wind power capacity reached more than 730 GW. But to help meet Paris Agreement goals to limit climate change analysts say it should expand much faster - by over 1% of electricity generation per year. Expansion of wind power is being hindered by fossil fuel subsidies.

The actual amount of electric power that wind can generate is calculated by multiplying the nameplate capacity by the capacity factor, which varies according to equipment and location. Estimates of the capacity factors for wind installations are in the range of 35% to 44%.

Capacity factor

Since wind speed is not constant, a wind farm's annual energy production is never as much as the sum of the generator nameplate ratings multiplied by the total hours in a year. The ratio of actual productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum is called the capacity factor. Online data is available for some locations, and the capacity factor can be calculated from the yearly output.

Unlike fueled generating plants, the capacity factor is affected by several parameters, including the variability of the wind at the site and the size of the generator relative to the turbine's swept area. A small generator would be cheaper and achieve a higher capacity factor but would produce less electric power (and thus less profit) in high winds. Conversely, a large generator would cost more but generate little extra power and, depending on the type, may stall out at low wind speed. Thus an optimum capacity factor of around 40-50% would be aimed for.

Penetration

Wind energy penetration is the fraction of energy produced by wind compared with the total generation. Wind power's share of worldwide electricity usage in 2021 was almost 7%, up from 3.5% in 2015.

There is no generally accepted maximum level of wind penetration. The limit for a particular grid will depend on the existing generating plants, pricing mechanisms, capacity for energy storage, demand management, and other factors. An interconnected electric power grid will already include reserve generating and transmission capacity to allow for equipment failures. This reserve capacity can also serve to compensate for the varying power generation produced by wind stations. Studies have indicated that 20% of the total annual electrical energy consumption may be incorporated with minimal difficulty. These studies have been for locations with geographically dispersed wind farms, some degree of dispatchable energy or hydropower with storage capacity, demand management, and interconnected to a large grid area enabling the export of electric power when needed. Beyond the 20% level, there are few technical limits, but the economic implications become more significant. Electrical utilities continue to study the effects of large-scale penetration of wind generation on system stability.

A wind energy penetration figure can be specified for different duration of time but is often quoted annually. To obtain 100% from wind annually requires substantial long-term storage or substantial interconnection to other systems that may already have substantial storage. On a monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly basis-or less-wind might supply as much as or more than 100% of current use, with the rest stored, exported or curtailed. The seasonal industry might then take advantage of high wind and low usage times such as at night when wind output can exceed normal demand. Such industry might include the production of silicon, aluminum, steel, or natural gas, and hydrogen, and using future long-term storage to facilitate 100% energy from variable renewable energy. Homes can also be programmed to accept extra electric power on demand, for example by remotely turning up water heater thermostats.

Variability

Wind power is variable, and during low wind periods, it may need to be replaced by other power sources. Transmission networks presently cope with outages of other generation plants and daily changes in electrical demand, but the variability of intermittent power sources such as wind power is more frequent than those of conventional power generation plants which, when scheduled to be operating, may be able to deliver their nameplate capacity around 95% of the time.

Electric power generated from wind power can be highly variable at several different timescales: hourly, daily, or seasonally. Annual variation also exists but is not as significant. Because instantaneous electrical generation and consumption must remain in balance to maintain grid stability, this variability can present substantial challenges to incorporating large amounts of wind power into a grid system. Intermittency and the non- dispatchable nature of wind energy production can raise costs for regulation, incremental operating reserve, and (at high penetration levels) could require an increase in the already existing energy demand management, load shedding, storage solutions, or system interconnection with HVDC cables.

Fluctuations in load and allowance for the failure of large fossil-fuel generating units require operating reserve capacity, which can be increased to compensate for the variability of wind generation.

Utility-scale batteries are often used to balance hourly and shorter timescale variation, but car batteries may gain ground from the mid-2020s. Wind power advocates argue that periods of low wind can be dealt with by simply restarting existing power stations that have been held in readiness, or interlinking with HVDC.

The combination of diversifying variable renewables by type and location, forecasting their variation, and integrating them with dispatchable renewables, flexible fueled generators, and demand response can create a power system that has the potential to meet power supply needs reliably. Integrating ever-higher levels of renewables is being successfully demonstrated in the real world:

In 2009, eight American and three European authorities, writing in the leading electrical engineers' professional journal, didn't find "a credible and firm technical limit to the amount of wind energy that can be accommodated by electric power grids". In fact, not one of more than 200 international studies, nor official studies for the eastern and western U.S. regions, nor the International Energy Agency, has found major costs or technical barriers to reliably integrating up to 30% variable renewable supplies into the grid, and in some studies much more.

Solar power tends to be complementary to wind. On daily to weekly timescales, high-pressure areas tend to bring clear skies and low surface winds, whereas low-pressure areas tend to be windier and cloudier. On seasonal timescales, solar energy peaks in summer, whereas in many areas wind energy is lower in summer and higher in winter. Thus the seasonal variation of wind and solar power tend to cancel each other somewhat. Wind hybrid power systems are becoming more popular.

Predictability

Wind power forecasting methods are used, but the predictability of any particular wind farm is low for short-term operation. For any particular generator, there is an 80% chance that wind output will change less than 10% in an hour and a 40% chance that it will change 10% or more in 5 hours.

In summer 2021 wind power in the United Kingdom fell due to the lowest winds in seventy years - smoothing peaks by producing hydrogen may help in future when wind has a larger share of generation.

While the output from a single turbine can vary greatly and rapidly as local wind speeds vary, as more turbines are connected over larger and larger areas the average power output becomes less variable and more predictable. Weather forecasting permits the electric-power network to be readied for the predictable variations in production that occur.

It is thought that the most reliable low-carbon electricity systems will include a large share of wind power.

Energy storage

Typically, conventional hydroelectricity complements wind power very well. When the wind is blowing strongly, nearby hydroelectric stations can temporarily hold back their water. When the wind drops they can, provided they have the generation capacity, rapidly increase production to compensate. This gives a very even overall power supply and virtually no loss of energy and uses no more water.

Alternatively, where a suitable head of water is not available, pumped-storage hydroelectricity or other forms of grid energy storage such as compressed air energy storage and thermal energy storage can store energy developed by high-wind periods and release it when needed. The type of storage needed depends on the wind penetration level - low penetration requires daily storage, and high penetration requires both short- and long-term storage - as long as a month or more. Stored energy increases the economic value of wind energy since it can be shifted to displace higher-cost generation during peak demand periods. The potential revenue from this arbitrage can offset the cost and losses of storage. Although pumped-storage power systems are only about 75% efficient, and have high installation costs, their low running costs and ability to reduce the required electrical base-load can save both fuel and total electrical generation costs.

Fuel savings and energy payback

According to the American Wind Energy Association, production of wind power in the United States in 2015 avoided consumption of 280 million cubic metres (73 billion US gallons) of water and reduced CO ₂ emissions by 132 million metric tons, while providing US$7.3 bn in public health savings.

The energy needed to build a wind farm divided into the total output over its life, Energy Return on Energy Invested, of wind power varies but averages about 20-25. Thus, the energy payback time is typically around a year.

Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electric power, cheaper than coal plants and new gas plants. According to BusinessGreen, wind turbines reached grid parity (the point at which the cost of wind power matches traditional sources) in some areas of Europe in the mid-2000s, and in the US around the same time. Falling prices continue to drive the Levelized cost down and it has been suggested that it has reached general grid parity in Europe in 2010, and will reach the same point in the US around 2016 due to an expected reduction in capital costs of about 12%. In 2021 the CEO of Siemens Gamesa warned that increased demand for low-cost wind turbines combined with high input costs and high costs of steel result in increased pressure on the manufacturers and decreasing profit margins.

Northern Eurasia, Canada, some parts of the United States, and Patagonia in Argentina are the best areas for onshore wind: whereas in other parts of the world solar power, or a combination of wind and solar, tend to be cheaper.

Electric power cost and trends

Wind power is capital intensive but has no fuel costs. The price of wind power is therefore much more stable than the volatile prices of fossil fuel sources. However, the estimated average cost per unit of electric power must incorporate the cost of construction of the turbine and transmission facilities, borrowed funds, return to investors (including the cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components, averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be more than 20 years. Energy cost estimates are highly dependent on these assumptions so published cost figures can differ substantially.

The cost has decreased as wind turbine technology has improved. There are now longer and lighter wind turbine blades, improvements in turbine performance, and increased power generation efficiency. Also, wind project capital expenditure costs and maintenance costs have continued to decline.

In 2021 a Lazard study of unsubsidized electricity said that wind power levelized cost of electricity continues to fall but more slowly than before. The study estimated new wind-generated electricity cost from $26 to $50/MWh, compared to new gas power from $45 to $74/MWh. The median cost of fully deprecated existing coal power was $42/MWh, nuclear $29/MWh and gas $24/MWh. The study estimated offshore wind at around $83/MWh. Compound annual growth rate was 4% per year from 2016 to 2021, compared to 10% per year from 2009 to 2021.

Incentives and community benefits

Turbine prices have fallen significantly in recent years due to tougher competitive conditions such as the increased use of energy auctions, and the elimination of subsidies in many markets. As of 2021 subsidies are still often given to offshore wind. But they are generally no longer necessary for onshore wind in countries with even a very low carbon price such as China, provided there are no competing fossil fuel subsidies.

Secondary market forces provide incentives for businesses to use wind-generated power, even if there is a premium price for the electricity. For example, socially responsible manufacturers pay utility companies a premium that goes to subsidize and build new wind power infrastructure. Companies use wind-generated power, and in return, they can claim that they are undertaking strong "green" efforts. Wind projects provide local taxes, or payments in place of taxes and strengthen the economy of rural communities by providing income to farmers with wind turbines on their land.

The wind energy sector can produce jobs during the construction and operating phase. Jobs include the manufacturing of the wind mills, and the construction process which includes transporting, installing, and then maintaining these wind mills. An estimated 1.25 million people were employed in wind power in 2020.

Small-scale wind power

Small-scale wind power is the name given to wind generation systems with the capacity to produce up to 50 kW of electrical power. Isolated communities, that may otherwise rely on diesel generators, may use wind turbines as an alternative. Individuals may purchase these systems to reduce or eliminate their dependence on grid electric power for economic reasons, or to reduce their carbon footprint. Wind turbines have been used for household electric power generation in conjunction with battery storage over many decades in remote areas.

Examples of small-scale wind power projects in an urban setting can be found in New York City, where, since 2009, several building projects have capped their roofs with Gorlov-type helical wind turbines. Although the energy they generate is small compared to the buildings' overall consumption, they help to reinforce the building's 'green' credentials in ways that "showing people your high-tech boiler" cannot, with some of the projects also receiving the direct support of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Off-grid system users can either adapt to intermittent power or use batteries, photovoltaic, or diesel systems to supplement the wind turbine. Equipment such as parking meters, traffic warning signs, street lighting, or wireless Internet gateways may be powered by a small wind turbine, possibly combined with a photovoltaic system, that charges a small battery replacing the need for a connection to the power grid.

Distributed generation from renewable resources is increasing as a consequence of the increased awareness of climate change. The electronic interfaces required to connect renewable generation units with the utility system can include additional functions, such as active filtering to enhance the power quality.

Impact on environment and landscape

The environmental impact of wind power is minor compared to that of fossil fuels. According to the IPCC, in assessments of the life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions of energy sources, wind turbines have a median value of 12 and 11 ( gCO ₂ eq/ kWh) for offshore and onshore turbines, respectively. Wind turbines have some of the lowest global warming potential per unit of electricity generated.

Onshore (on-land) wind farms can have a significant visual impact and impact on the landscape. Due to a very low surface power density and spacing requirements, wind farms typically need to be spread over more land than other power stations. Their network of turbines, access roads, transmission lines, and substations can result in "energy sprawl"; although land between the turbines and roads can still be used for agriculture. They also need to be built away from urban areas, which can lead to "industrialization of the countryside". Some wind farms are opposed for potentially spoiling protected scenic areas, archaeological landscapes and heritage sites. A report by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland concluded that wind farms harmed tourism in areas known for natural landscapes and panoramic views.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest potential impacts on wildlife of onshore wind farms. But the worldwide ecological impact is minimal. Thousands of birds and bats, including rare species, have been killed by wind turbine blades, though wind turbines are responsible for far fewer bird deaths than fossil-fueled power stations. This can be mitigated with proper wildlife monitoring.

Many wind turbine blades are made of fiberglass and some only had a lifetime of 10 to 20 years. Previously, there was no market for recycling these old blades, and they were commonly disposed of in landfills. Because blades are hollow, they take up a large volume compared to their mass. Since 2019, some landfill operators have begun requiring blades to be crushed before being landfilled. Blades manufactured in the 2020s are more likely to be designed to be completely recyclable.

Wind turbines also generate noise. At a distance of 300 metres (980 ft) this may be around 45 dB, which is slightly louder than a refrigerator. At 1.5 km (1 mi) distance they become inaudible. There are anecdotal reports of negative health effects on people who live very close to wind turbines. Peer-reviewed research has generally not supported these claims.

Central government

Nuclear power and fossil fuels are subsidized by many governments, and wind power and other forms of renewable energy are also often subsidized. It has been suggested that a subsidy shift would help to level the playing field and support growing energy sectors, namely solar power, wind power, and biofuels. History shows that no energy sector was developed without subsidies.

Following the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents, Germany's federal government is working on a new plan for increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy commercialization, with a particular focus on offshore wind farms. Under the plan, large wind turbines will be erected far away from the coastlines, where the wind blows more consistently than it does on land, and where the enormous turbines won't bother the inhabitants. The plan aims to decrease Germany's dependence on energy derived from coal and nuclear power plants.

Public opinion

Surveys of public attitudes across Europe and in many other countries show strong public support for wind power. In 2008, surveys found about 80% of EU citizens supported wind power.

Bakker et al. (2012) found in their study that residents who did not want turbines built near them suffered significantly more stress than those who "benefited economically from wind turbines".

Although wind power is a popular form of energy generation, onshore or near offshore wind farms are sometimes opposed for their impact on the landscape (especially scenic areas, heritage areas and archaeological landscapes), as well as noise, and impact on tourism.

In a 2007 survey of wind power in Canada, 89% of respondents said that using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power was positive for Canada because these sources were better for the environment. Only 4 percent considered using renewable sources as negative since they could be unreliable and expensive. Another 2007 survey concluded that wind power was the alternative energy source most likely to gain public support for future development in Canada, with only 16% opposed to this type of energy. By contrast, 3 out of 4 Canadians opposed nuclear power developments.

A 2010 Harris Poll found strong support for wind power in Germany, other European countries, and the United States.

Public support in the United States has decreased from 75% in 2020 to 62% in 2021, with the Democrat Party supporting the use of wind energy twice as much as the Republican Party. President Biden has signed an executive order to begin building large scale wind farms.

Many wind power companies work with local communities to reduce environmental and other concerns associated with particular wind farms. In other cases there is direct community ownership of wind farm projects. Appropriate government consultation, planning and approval procedures also help to minimize environmental risks. Some may still object to wind farms but many say their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by air pollution, climate change and the opinions of the broader community.

In the US, wind power projects are reported to boost local tax bases, helping to pay for schools, roads, and hospitals, and to revitalize the economies of rural communities by providing steady income to farmers and other landowners.

In the UK, both the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England have expressed concerns about the effects on the rural landscape caused by inappropriately sited wind turbines and wind farms.

Some wind farms have become tourist attractions. The Whitelee Wind Farm Visitor Centre has an exhibition room, a learning hub, a café with a viewing deck and also a shop. It is run by the Glasgow Science Centre.

In Denmark, a loss-of-value scheme gives people the right to claim compensation for loss of value of their property if it is caused by proximity to a wind turbine. The loss must be at least 1% of the property's value.

Despite this general support for the concept of wind power in the public at large, local opposition often exists and has delayed or aborted a number of projects. As well as concerns about the landscape, there are concerns that some installations can produce excessive sound and vibration levels leading to a decrease in property values. Potential broadcast-reception solutions include predictive interference modeling as a component of site selection. A study of 50,000 home sales near wind turbines found no statistical evidence that prices were affected.

While aesthetic issues are subjective and some find wind farms pleasant and optimistic, or symbols of energy independence and local prosperity, protest groups are often formed to attempt to block some wind power stations for various reasons.

Some opposition to wind farms is dismissed as NIMBYism, but research carried out in 2009 found that there is little evidence to support the belief that residents only object to wind farms because of a "Not in my Back Yard" attitude.

Geopolitics

Turbine design

Wind turbines are devices that convert the wind's kinetic energy into electrical power. The result of over a millennium of windmill development and modern engineering, today's wind turbines are manufactured in a wide range of horizontal axis and vertical axis types. The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging for auxiliary power. Slightly larger turbines can be used for making small contributions to a domestic power supply while selling unused power back to the utility supplier via the electrical grid. Arrays of large turbines, known as wind farms, have become an increasingly important source of renewable energy and are used in many countries as part of a strategy to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Wind turbine design is the process of defining the form and specifications of a wind turbine to extract energy from the wind. A wind turbine installation consists of the necessary systems needed to capture the wind's energy, point the turbine into the wind, convert mechanical rotation into electrical power, and other systems to start, stop, and control the turbine.

In 1919 the German physicist Albert Betz showed that for a hypothetical ideal wind-energy extraction machine, the fundamental laws of conservation of mass and energy allowed no more than 16/27 (59%) of the kinetic energy of the wind to be captured. This Betz limit can be approached in modern turbine designs, which may reach 70 to 80% of the theoretical Betz limit.

The aerodynamics of a wind turbine are not straightforward. The airflow at the blades is not the same as the airflow far away from the turbine. The very nature of how energy is extracted from the air also causes air to be deflected by the turbine. This affects the objects or other turbines downstream, which is known as Wake effect. Also, the aerodynamics of a wind turbine at the rotor surface exhibit phenomena that are rarely seen in other aerodynamic fields. The shape and dimensions of the blades of the wind turbine are determined by the aerodynamic performance required to efficiently extract energy from the wind, and by the strength required to resist the forces on the blade.

In addition to the aerodynamic design of the blades, the design of a complete wind power system must also address the design of the installation's rotor hub, nacelle, tower structure, generator, controls, and foundation.

Wind power has been used as long as humans have put sails into the wind. King Hammurabi's Codex (reign 1792 - 1750 BC) already mentioned windmills for generating mechanical energy. Wind-powered machines used to grind grain and pump water, the windmill and wind pump, were developed in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan by the 9th century. Wind power was widely available and not confined to the banks of fast-flowing streams, or later, requiring sources of fuel. Wind-powered pumps drained the polders of the Netherlands, and in arid regions such as the American mid-west or the Australian outback, wind pumps provided water for livestock and steam engines.

The first windmill used for the production of electric power was built in Scotland in July 1887 by Prof James Blyth of Anderson's College, Glasgow (the precursor of Strathclyde University). Blyth's 10 metres (33 ft) high cloth-sailed wind turbine was installed in the garden of his holiday cottage at Marykirk in Kincardineshire, and was used to charge accumulators developed by the Frenchman Camille Alphonse Faure, to power the lighting in the cottage, thus making it the first house in the world to have its electric power supplied by wind power. Blyth offered the surplus electric power to the people of Marykirk for lighting the main street, however, they turned down the offer as they thought electric power was "the work of the devil." Although he later built a wind turbine to supply emergency power to the local Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary, and Dispensary of Montrose, the invention never really caught on as the technology was not considered to be economically viable.

Across the Atlantic, in Cleveland, Ohio, a larger and heavily engineered machine was designed and constructed in the winter of 1887-1888 by Charles F. Brush. This was built by his engineering company at his home and operated from 1886 until 1900. The Brush wind turbine had a rotor 17 metres (56 ft) in diameter and was mounted on an 18 metres (59 ft) tower. Although large by today's standards, the machine was only rated at 12 kW. The connected dynamo was used either to charge a bank of batteries or to operate up to 100 incandescent light bulbs, three arc lamps, and various motors in Brush's laboratory.

With the development of electric power, wind power found new applications in lighting buildings remote from centrally generated power. Throughout the 20th century parallel paths developed small wind stations suitable for farms or residences. The 1973 oil crisis triggered the investigation in Denmark and the United States that led to larger utility-scale wind generators that could be connected to electric power grids for remote use of power. By 2008, the U.S. installed capacity had reached 25.4 gigawatts, and by 2012 the installed capacity was 60 gigawatts. Today, wind-powered generators operate in every size range between tiny stations for battery charging at isolated residences, up to gigawatt-sized offshore wind farms that provide electric power to national electrical networks.

References

External links

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Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically, wind power has been used in sails, windmills and windpumps but today it is mostly used to generate electricity.

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Once called windmills, the technology used to harness the power of wind has advanced significantly over the past ten years, with the United States increasing its wind power capacity 30% year over year. Wind turbines, as they are now called, collect and convert the kinetic energy that wind produces into electricity to help power the grid.

Wind energy is actually a byproduct of the sun. The sun's uneven heating of the atmosphere, the earth's irregular surfaces (mountains and valleys), and the planet's revolution around the sun all combine to create wind. Since wind is in plentiful supply, it's a sustainable resource for as long as the sun's rays heat the planet.

In addition, because wind power is a growing industry, it's adding jobs to communities around the country. Currently, there are utility-scale wind plants in 41 states that have created more than 100,000 jobs for Americans.

Learn more about the wind industry here, from how a wind turbine works, to the new and exciting research in the field of wind energy.

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Learn more about the wind industry here, from how a wind turbine works, to the new and exciting research in the field of wind energy.