Essay on Wind Energy for Matric Inter Students

Our old power plants are working with the help of hydro-electric turbines. But most our new plants are producing electric power with the consumption of furnace oil, gas or electricity. It is a matter of great pity that we have a shortage of gas and fossil fuels. So, we must have some permanent energy source that can sustain our energies for a longer period of time. it must also be pollution free. For this purpose, wind energy is the best available option. Environmentalists recommend its use mostly due to lesser gas emission in comparison with other forms of energy. This is why many activists and organizations encourage the production of wind power in Pakistan.

To generate power from wind, we need strong wind speed of more than five meters per second. The speed of the wind must be steady and consistent not only throughout the day but all through the year. Hence, a well-studied and calculated windy location plays an important part in the generation of wind power.

Pakistan has a long coastal belt and seashores. They are highly suitable for wind energy generation. Pakistan Meteorological Department has shown the speed of average wind 5.8 m/s in these regions. We can generate more than 50,000 MW from the areas of Pasni and Makran belt and some hilly and mountainous plain of the Northern Areas.

Wind farms seem to be an excellent option. They are quite easy and fast to install in comparison with other power plants. They are relatively economical. A wind farm consists of a few to several hundred wind turbines. These may be onshore or offshore. Onshore wind farms are built on the land where the wind usually blows at higher speed throughout the year.

Offshore wind farms are constructed in the sea. The base of the offshore wind farm is erected into the seabed. It is erected at a distance of 20-30 kilometers from the seashore. The offshore wind farms are 2-3 times more expensive than onshore ones. However, they produce 20-30 percent power more than the onshore wind farms.

Turbines are classified according to their ability of rotation. They are horizontal axis wind turbines and vertical axis wind turbines. Nowadays, a horizontal axis wind turbine is mostly in use due to their high efficiency and high power on output. The blades are given special shapes so that under the influence of strong wind they would rotate the shaft of the generator to maximum revolutions per minute.

There are more than fifteen offshore wind farms in operation in the world, whereas twenty larger ones are in the developmental stage or near completion. Germany is leading the world with 23,000 MW of wind energy capacity. The USA has made great progress in the generation of wind power. It produces 19,500 MW from on land and Offshore wind farms.

Pakistan is also taking great interest in the generation of renewable energy. AEDB has installed small-capacity wind turbines in the rural areas of Sindh and Balochistan. 500 - 600 households have been provided electricity from the wind energy. In Sindh, 111 households are utilizing this facility. By 2020, our companies have a plan of producing 10,000 MW from wind energy. If we are able to achieve this target, we can save our foreign exchange that is used in the purchase of oil. A very serious effort is needed to make the wind power plan successful. In this way, we can get rid of load-shedding that has crippled our economy.