WIND ENERGY

     Wind energy is really an offshoot of solar energy. Winds occur when different parts of the earth receive different amounts of energy from the sun.

     Today, many scientists feel that “windmills” designed to generate electricity can help meet future energy needs. Some say that homes will eventually have their own windmill generators.

     Actually, the idea of harnessing wind energy is quite old. Wind was used many centuries ago to propel ships and to grind grain. American farmers pumped water with windmills in the 1920s and ’30s.

     Although wind energy is clean and appears to be free, there are many problems to be solved:

The wind-powered generators available today are expensive.
They are large.
They don’t generate electricity unless the wind is blowing, obviously.
It is costly to store excess energy – that is, energy generated, but not immediately needed.

For these reasons, experts believe that wind generators will be useful only in limited situations.