The Modern Tragedy of the Commons: Wind-Generated Energy as a Gateway to. Sustainability

Transcription

1 Earth Day Essay Contest 26 April 2015 The Modern Tragedy of the Commons: Wind-Generated Energy as a Gateway to Sustainability A critical attribute for the stability and reliability of society is electricity, a common that is no less important than air and water in this modern society. Most countries heavily depend on utilities in order to keep with their regular routines, which require stable electrical power without outages. Consequently, the 2000s energy crisis demonstrated how most nations are very dependent on fuel oil to meet their necessities. Some nations familiarized with the constant increase in their utility bills and restricting entertainment. Other places had to pay attention to the news announcements showing the starting time of the 10 or more-hour blackouts. People had to adjust their daily routines due to limited availability of energy and light. Consequently, countries had to develop other energy sources, such as wind-generated energy, that would reduce their dependency on fuel oil in order to stabilize the energy crisis and create environmental pollution awareness. Even though wind-generated energy has high entry-level costs and variability deficiencies, wind-generated energy has the potential of providing economic, social, and environmental benefits that will contribute to the welfare of future generations. In this globalization era, the energy crisis affected several nations with higher oil prices, the disruptions of Venezuelan oil supplies, and the increasing dependence on Middle East oil. The rapid increase in energy prices threaten economic and social welfare such as a decline in economic growth, high levels of inflation, higher levels of unemployment, and loss in investments. Some nations dealt with 10 or more-hour blackouts that led to surgeries being suspended, ruined products such as milk, increasing number of traffic accidents, and businesses

2 unable to provide services. Consequently, governments had to subsidize energy companies with large payouts that would only provide short-term solutions. During this energy crisis, some nations started to redirect their subsidies into more efficient energy sources in order to control their dependency on oil imports. In 2005, with its vast array of natural resources, Nicaragua started to invest in wind-generated power projects such as offering tax breaks and other incentives, which motivated national and foreign entrepreneurs to develop the benefits of wind-generated power in wind farms. According to the Nicaraguan Ministry of Energy and Mines, the country has progressively reduced its power outages and 58% of the country s energy comes from renewable sources, mainly wind-generated energy. The United States invested in research and development programs in order to expand their portfolio of clean, domestic power generation, such as the Wind Program. According to the Department of Energy of the United States, [o]n average, wind accounted for 30% of new electricity generation capacity from 2009 to 2014, higher than all other generating sources except natural gas (DOE, 2015). Furthermore, the Wind Program report states that by 2030 the United States should generate 20% of its electricity through wind power. Throughout these periods, wind-generated energy has reduced greenhouse gasses and other pollutants, as well as, produced sustainable economic growth. Investing in wind-generated energy represents environmental benefits and reflects potential influences to its viability. Most electricity sources produce greenhouse emissions that contribute to global climate change. From the nine different types of renewable energy, windgenerated energy is one of the five renewable energy sources with minimal environmental impact, which in this case, it does not pollute the air with greenhouse emissions and does not deplete (Wind Power Report, 2004). Furthermore, wind-generated power is a sustainable form of

3 solar energy because it is produced due to heating of the atmosphere, rotation of the earth, and surface irregularities. Wind-generated energy does not threaten the welfare of nearby bodies of water and conserves water because this type of energy requires less water than nuclear power and coal-produced power. Even though wind farms are located over large areas, the wind turbines cover small portions of land that result in minimum impact for livestock grazing and crop production, and it does involve mining for other resources and fuel transportation to other facilities. Besides the environmental benefits of this renewable source of energy, wind-generated power offers social advantages to communities such as education, employment, and health improvements. Since it is one of the fastest-growing energy sources worldwide, this industry creates new short and long-term job opportunities, especially for people in the local communities. Furthermore, in several countries, governments have established programs to educate people about this type of renewable source. The United States Department of Energy sponsored the program Wind for Schools, which is a project that educates and builds awareness among students about wind energy (in 11 states from selected school systems). This program engaged students in higher education institutions to join the wind-energy workforce by becoming consultants for wind-turbine installations at rural communities. Besides providing education and job opportunities, wind-generated energy does not represent an imminent threat to the health of nearby communities such as water pollution (hydraulic energy) or respiratory diseases (coal energy). These social benefits such as education and employments can trigger macroeconomic benefits such as bigger investments, reduces foreign oil imports, promotes local businesses, and regenerates rural economies. Revitalizing the rural economy is fundamental for the

4 diversification of this industry due to their reliance of livestock and crop production. Wind turbines can be built in existing farms or ranches and provide additional income to land owners. Farm owners can expand their business operations by either embarking in the project directly or leasing the land to investors. The Department of Energy s (DOE) Wind Powering America program has set a goal of producing 5 percent of the nation s electricity from wind by DOE estimates that achieving this goal would add $60 billion in capital investment in rural America, provide $1.2 billion in new income for farmers and rural landowners, and create 80,000 new jobs by that year (U.S. GAO, 2004). Governments promote this growing industry by offering financial and tax incentives to investors that are less costly than subsidizing other sources of energy. Furthermore, this source of energy provides a reasonable amount of pricing stability by reducing the dependence on imports of foreign oil, which will allow for a better control during oil price fluctuations without incurring any further liability and increase the local gross domestic product (GDP). Even though wind-generated energy offers several social, environmental, and economic benefits, this source of renewable energy presents technical challenges and high-entry costs for its long-term viability in this industrial society. Prediction of wind power generation is one of the fundamental difficulties for power system operators because a sudden change in wind speed can either enhance or reduce electricity production, especially when wind turbines can only operate at an approximate 30% of their capacity (Lei et al., 2009). Thunderstorms and high winds can damage the turbines. Consequently, efficient forecasting tools and energy storage systems are urgent in order to keep a steady growth in this industry. Additionally, wind-farms are suitable in certain locations that usually remote; thus, it requires extra infrastructure investment to transport this energy to cities.

5 Besides its unreliability due to weather conditions, the construction and set-up of windgenerated power technology has higher initial investments costs than other energy sources such as fossil-fuel energy. In order to build a windmill farm, the project requires archeological and environmental impact tests that cost approximately $5000-$50,000 before issuing permits that cost $5,000-$10,000 per turbine. Furthermore, the project requires interconnection studies that might cost approximately $150,000. The approximate cost for a 2MW project is $4 million, which includes testing, design, pre-construction development, turbines, and construction. Moreover, this project also has annual expenditures for operation and maintenance of $85,000 (Windustry, 2013). Farm-owners have the financial capacity of only acquiring one or two turbines, so wind-generated power does not contributed significantly to the direct income of farmers. Consequently, due to the high costs of building a wind farm, farmers are not obtaining the direct benefits and incentives of building their wind farms. Instead, farmers lease their land to investors, such as energy companies that have the financial resources and technical capital to cover the high costs, obtain the tax benefits, and address the risk of developing wind farms. Leasing farms has become the alternative for farmers; [h]owever, ownership may be more profitable than leasing. For example, whereas lease payments for a single turbine may provide several thousand dollars a year to a landowner, a farmer s ownership of the turbine may double or triple that income (GAO, 2014). Moreover, since this industry is still developing, it has to compete with conventional energy sources that have established a more stable budget. Besides incurring high investments and intermittency issues, wind-generated energy has some negative effects on wildlife due to the alteration of their habits. Trees have to be chopped in order to set the wind turbines and build facilities. Birds and bats occasionally collide with the turbines or blades, and wind turbines can affect underground wildlife, as well. Therefore, wind

6 farms create concerns for the loss of wildlife and vegetation. Moreover, wind turbines might cause noise disturbances and aesthetic pollution because usually wind farms are located in picturesque areas. People who live nearby wind farms often complain about the noise generated by the turbines; therefore, wind turbines can be set near residential areas. Some people find wind farms unattractive to the rural landscape. Another rare incidence is interference with radars, televisions, and other technologies. Even though wind-generated power has to overcome some challenges, this renewable source of energy offers many advantages, is becoming the fastest-growing energy source in its industry, and research efforts are aimed to reduce its adversities. Over the last ten years, governmental agencies and environmental organizations have collaborated in order to increase the acceptance of renewable energies by increasing wind-generated power reliability, lowering production costs, and promoting the industry that can meet domestic energy demands and reduce foreign energy imports. One important contribution is workforce development and educational opportunities that have addressed the issue of uncertain availability of power. Therefore, in order to compensate for the uncertain availability of power, [a]s the wind energy is unlimited in certain areas around the world a cost effective digital charge controller can convert wind energy into electrical energy and can store it into batteries to be used when wind is not available or it can drive electrical load directly if batteries are charged and electrical power is available from wind turbine (Saleem et al. 2014). Furthermore, improvements in research and development have modified the design of wind turbines and blades, which has significantly reduced the negative impact on wildlife. Even though farm-owners do not receive the highest compensation compared to energy companies, they are able to receive income from their regular operations and additional income

7 from the long-term lease payments of the energy companies. Nearby communities benefit due to creation of jobs in this industry. Developments in design have significantly reduced noise pollution, which is audible just within the farm boundaries, as well as aesthetics issues, by creating innovative designs. These improvements in design have created another source of income for rural areas by turning wind farms into touristic attractions. Even though wind-generated energy is not the perfect solution for energy source issues, it offers a vast array of benefits that can be developed in the long-term. Other sources of energy such as fossil fuel and hydraulic energy have high entry-costs and higher levels of environmental damage; yet, they have been able to reduce their costs and become detrimental for the economy. Wind-generated power can be the origin of a sustainable energy source in the future due to its great environmental and cost potential. Wind-generated energy matters because it diversifies energy supply, reduces CO 2 emissions and pollution of the commons, and creates a sustainable future.

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9 "Renewable: Wind." Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Web. 26 Apr < "Windustry." General Wind Project Guide. Windustry, 1 Jan Web. 26 Apr < Lei, Ma, et al. "A Review On The Forecasting Of Wind Speed And Generated Power." Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews13.4 (2009): GreenFILE. Web. 26 Apr Miller, Roger, Daniel Benjamin, and Douglass North. "The Deception of Green Energy." The Economics of Public Issues. 8th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, Print. Mraz, Stephen. "Is Wind Power Ready For PRIME TIME?." Machine Design (2007): Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Apr Rapp, Kenan. "ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT." International Finance Corporation. World Bank Group. Web. 26 Apr < _World_Bank_Rapp_March_2012_Optimized.pdf>. Saleem, Y., et al. "Cost Effective Charge Controller For Wind Based Power Generation." Pakistan Journal Of Science 66.2 (2014): Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Apr