Wind and Solar Power

• Renewable energy resources


  Resources like wind and solar that will not run out
• Renewable energy resources don't generate as much electricity as non-renewables
• Wind power


  • Lots of little wind turbines (windmills) put up in exposed places like on moors or round coasts
  • Each turbine has a generator inside it-the rotating blades turn the generator and produce electricity
  • No pollution (except for a bit when they're manufactured)
  • They do spoil the view and 1500 wind turbines are needed to replace one coal-fired power station, covering a lot of ground
  • They can be very noisy, which can be annoying for people living nearby
  • The turbines stop when the wind stops or if the wind is too strong, and it's impossible to increase supply when there's extra demand
  • On average, wind turbines produce electricity 20-85% of the time
  • The initial costs are quite high, but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs
  • There's no permanent damage to the landscape-if you remove the turbines, you remove the noise and the view returns to normal
• Solar cells


  Generate electric currents directly from sunlight
• Uses of solar cells


  • Charging batteries in calculators and watches
  • Powering remote places like the Australian outback and electric road signs and satellites
• Solar power


  • No pollution (although the factories do use quite a lot of energy and produce some pollution when they manufacture the cells)
  • In sunny countries solar power is a very reliable source of energy, but only in the daytime
  • Solar power can still be cost-effective in cloudy countries like Britain
  • You can't increase the power output when there is extra demand
  • Initial costs are high but after that the energy is free and running costs almost nil
  • Solar cells are usually used to generate electricity on a relatively small scale