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Then we’ll present diagrams and discuss photovoltaic solar, solar hot water, and concentrated solar power. The easiest way to think about these is: am I using solar energy to heat water (solar hot water and CSP) or am I converting sunlight directly into electricity (photovoltaic cells)? Solar Energy diagram #1 – Insolation

The major challenge to using wind as a source of power is that it is intermittent and does not always blow when electricity is needed. Wind cannot be stored (although wind-generated electricity can be stored, if batteries are used), and not all winds can be harnessed to meet the timing of electricity demands. Further, good wind sites are often located in remote locations far from areas of electric power demand (such as cities).

Although wind power plants have relatively little impact on the environment compared to fossil fuel power plants, there is some concern over the noise produced by the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts, and birds and bats having been killed (avian/bat mortality) by flying into the rotors. Most of these problems have been resolved or greatly reduced through technological development or by properly siting wind plants.

A Renewable Non-Polluting Resource Wind energy is a free, renewable resource, so no matter how much is used today, there will still be the same supply in the future. Wind energy is also a source of clean, non-polluting, electricity. Unlike conventional power plants, wind plants emit no air pollutants or greenhouse gases. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 1990, California's wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced. It would take a forest of 90 million to 175 million trees to provide the same air quality.

How Does Wind Energy Work? The diagram below shows a simplified version how a wind turbine converts the kinetic energy in the wind to electrical energy around the country. If you can't see the diagram you will need to download flash to see it. The wind blows on the blades and makes them turn. The blades turns a shaft inside the nacelle (the box at the top of the turbine) The shaft goes into a gearbox which increases the rotation speed enough for... The generator, which uses magnetic fields to convert the rotational energy into electrical energy. These are similar to those found in normal power stations. The power output goes to a transformer, which converts the electricity coming out of the generator at around 700 Volts (V) to the right voltage for distribution system, typically 33,000 V. The national grid transmits the power around the country.