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"Wind power is actually a form of solar power, because wind is caused by heat from the sun. Solar radiation heats every part of the Earth's surface, but not evenly or at the same speed. Different surfaces-sand, water, stone and various types of soil-absorb, retain, reflect and release heat at different rates, and the Earth generally gets warmer during daylight hours and cooler at night. As a result, the air above the Earth's surface also warms and cools at different rates. Hot air rises, reducing the atmospheric pressure near the Earth's surface, which draws in cooler air to replace it. That movement of air is what we call wind."

what is wind power

" United States, onshore and near-shore turbines kill 70,000 birds per year, compared to 57 million killed by cars and 97.5 million killed by collisions with plate glass."

"Simply put, an average one megawatt wind turbine will produce enough energy for the annual needs of 350 average households. The amount of energy produced by a turbine varies depending on several factors, namely the size and reliability of the turbine, and the speed that the wind is blowing. These factors together produce the turbine's capacity. Typically modern turbines range in size from 660 kilowatts to over 3 megawatts of capacity. They are placed in fairly windy locations with minimum wind speeds in the range of six meters per second (around 13 miles per hour). Wind turbines generally run at 30 to 40 percent capacity, so a 1 MW turbine could produce around 3 million KWh of electricity in a year."

What is wind power? Wind power is the result of using the wind to generate electricity. In the past windmills were used to grind grain or pump water. Today, a large wind turbine can power all the electricity needs of at least 350 homes.

, wind energy could provide 20% of America's electricity. Today's wind turbines are very different from the windmills of the past. Moder

Tidal hydropower energy has various advantages. The first of these is reliability and consistency. Other alternative energy sources like wind and solar can have varying amounts of energy generated depending on the weather conditions. Tidal power energy can generate electricity by the clock and indefinitely. This means that shortages can be easily avoided. In addition, tidal turbines are efficient when it comes to generating energy. They can convert about 80 percent of the energy into electricity. Wind and solar energy generators convert much less. Of course, another great benefit of tidal power renewable energy is that it is environmentally friendly. There are no CO2 emissions that are damaging to the atmosphere or Sulfur Dioxide emissions responsible for acid rain.

"Tidal stream generator Main article: Tidal stream generator Tidal stream generators (or TSGs) make use of the kinetic energy of moving water to power turbines, in a similar way to wind turbines that use wind to power turbines. Some tidal generators can be built into the structures of existing bridges, involving virtually no aesthetic problems."

So a 3 kilowatt system will replace around 2.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases, possibly more. It depends on what your annual output is, and what the local mix of power sources is in your province/state/country.

"Certain studies have shown that a geothermal power plant that could be considered as economically competitive would cost at around $3400/kw installed. Yes, the cost of the construction of a geothermal power plant is much higher compared to a facility producing natural gas, however, the cost of electricity production of the two in the long run would be similar. Initially, the construction cost of the geothermal plant would be 2/3 of the total cost. On the other hand, with a natural gas facility, the cost of the fuel is 2/3 while construction cost is just 1/3 of the total cost.  So this is where geothermal power plant and natural gas energy come into a standoff. In the long run, production rates stabilize and the cost of production for both plants become competitive. One good thing about the pric"

"Wind Energy, like Solar Energy is fully sustainable, being generated by natural wind flows, which in the U.K. are reliable enough to guarantee a stable, near constant supply of energy. Wind Power can be easily set up, either at home (see related article) or on a larger scale, by energy suppliers keen to meet government targets to reduce carbon emissions that are produced by conventional power stations."

" Solar cells are made of the same kinds of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, used in the microelectronics industry. For solar cells, a thin semiconductor wafer is specially treated to form an electric field, positive on one side and negative on the other. When light energy strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms in the semiconductor material. If electrical conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides, forming an electrical circuit, the electrons can be captured in the form of an electric current -- that is, electricity. This electricity can then be used to power a load, such as a light or a too"

"The photoelectric effect was first noted by a French physicist, Edmund Bequerel, in 1839, who found that certain materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed to light. In 1905, Albert Einstein described the nature of light and the photoelectric effect on which photovoltaic technology is based, for which he later won a Nobel prize in physics. The first photovoltaic module was built by Bell Laboratories in 1954. It was billed as a solar battery and was mostly just a curiosity as it was too expensive to gain widespread use. In the 1960s, the space industry began to make the first serious use of the technology to provide power aboard spacecraft. Through the space programs, the technology advanced, its reliability was established, and the cost began to decline. During the energy crisis in the 1970s, photovoltaic technology gained recognition as a source of power for non-space applications."

where wind energy come from

". At the end of last year, global capacity was more than 70,000 megawatts. In the energy-hungry United States, a single megawatt is enough electricity to power about 250 homes. "

This is how tidal energy is converted into useful form of power. 

The ONLY tidal power plant connected to the grid in the US is online.

While the "wave power at deep ocean sites is three to eight times the wave power at adjacent coastal sites," constructing and mooring the site and transmitting the electricity to shore would be prohibitively costly.

what wind power is

"The PV effect was discovered in 1954, when scientists at Bell Telephone discovered that silicon (an element found in sand) created an electric charge when exposed to sunlight. Soon solar cells were being used to power space satellites and smaller items like calculators and watches. Today, thousands of people power their homes and businesses with individual solar PV systems. Utility companies are also using PV technology for large power stations. "