The Hidden Potential Of Wind Power

There is more to wind power than just the ability to keep the lights on and our machines and gadgets powered up - it also provides a shelter against the turbulent world of fossil fuel prices, according to a study by Cambridge Econometrics, which highlights that wind power has saved lb579 million worth of oil and gas imports in 2013 and will only go on to cut even bigger chunks off the national fossil fuel bill.

Refreshing the UK's energy infrastructure is expensive and electricity prices are expected to rise in the coming years. When comparing future scenarios, the report highlights that a rise under a policy of high investment in wind will be half that (4 per cent) of a scenario in which the high investment is in gas (8 per cent). Sophie Billington, who worked on the report, explains:

"For the wind scenario, you have higher upfront capital costs but fewer uncertain variable costs, leading to more price resilience."

One counter to the pro-wind argument in the resilience discussion is the apparent desire to roll out hydraulic fracturing (more commonly known as fracking) for gas here in the UK - mimicking the story in the United States, where the process has been carried out for a number of years. Supporters say this will provide the energy security we crave.

Despite such claims, the increase in wind energy capacity in the United States in recent years has been dramatic. And it's a technology that is here to stay on the British Isles, and Rob Norris from RenewableUK thinks that green energy can compete, and as part of the overall mix, provide wide benefits:

"If you have different technologies, including renewables, competing against each other then the cost is driven down for the consumer.

Elsewhere, "Click Green" has taken a behind-the-scenes look at the control centre of one wind power company. The challenge of juggling hundreds of calls and emails in a single shift while remotely monitoring and controlling nearly 600 turbines looks like not a job for the faint-hearted, and it's an interesting piece of insight. Wind power provokes a range of reactions, but the human input behind the turbines is rarely considered.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. IF THERE'S A TECHNOLOGY YOU THINK DESERVES OUR ATTENTION, EMAIL US.
wind energyenergy infrastructureRenewableUKCambridge EconometricsUK energyProducts and technologyRegion: How we help save energy in EnglandNorthern IrelandHow we help save energy in ScotlandWales

Reference: altenergyprograms.blogspot.com