Man has been harvesting the wind thousands of years, Ever since man has evolved and spread across the globe to different environments. He has sought to make the energy available in the wind work for him to lighten his work load.

Sails have allowed nations to become rich and powerful from trade, The Chinese, Greeks, Phoenicians, and many more civilizations have used wind power to sail their craft along trade routes.

The Dutch are probably the most famous for harnessing of the wind for energy to run mills for grinding grain. To use it for the pumping of water to reclaim land from under the seas.

Thanks to recent technology there are new windmills in the form of turbines that capture the energy of the wind and convert it to electricity. Large and small versions of these have been gaining in popularity around the globe. Wind farms in the plains of America, and mountainous regions of the western parts of the continent. The often windy areas of The British Isles.

There are some apparent disadvantages to this source of energy as you can imagine. The wind does not always blow. Some days there is hardly a breeze, if you live in an area that often has still days during the year then this would definitely not be a source you would consider. But, used in conjunction with other sources of renewable energy, a small wind turbine may be a big advantage on windy and cloudy days when a solar collector may not be viable.

Some other critics of wind generated energy also claim that wind turbines create havoc for birds and bats who can not always get out of the way of the rotating blades. Or pose a hazard for airplanes. Technology is being researched into putting sonic whistles on the blades to warn bats and birds of their presence. Another possibility that would warn birds would be ultra-violet paints that would allow them to see the rotating blades more easily. but, might actually be a disadvantage because they might attract them instead.

Advantages:

• Wind energy is fueled by the wind, which makes it a clean fuel source. Wind energy doesn’t pollute the air like power plants that depend on combustion of fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. Wind turbines do not produce atmospheric emissions that cause greenhouse gases or acid rain.

• Wind energy is a domestic source of energy, produced in the United States. The nation’s wind supply is abundant.

• Wind energy relies on the renewable power of the wind, which can’t be used up. Wind is actually a form of solar energy; the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of the earth, and the earth’s surface irregularities cause winds.

• Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies available today again, based on the wind resources of the area.

• Wind Turbines can be built on Ranches and Farms, Thus benefiting the economy in the rural areas where most of the best wind farms are found( North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas have the most usable days for this energy,)
• Farmers and ranchers can continue to use the land as the turbines only use a small part of it. Also, they get some compensation from the wind plant owners for using the land.

• Technology’s like this create new jobs and careers for people. They get to use their education and talents for the good of the planet.

Disadvantages:

• Good wind sites are often located in remote locations, far from cities where the electricity is needed.

• Wind power has to compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis, and if a wind farm isn’t located in an energetic wind site, it may not be cost-effective. Despite the lowered costs in the last 10 years, the initial investment is greater than what is required for fossil-fueled generators.Sometimes it takes years to finally make it worthwhile.

• Despite being located in remote locations, there have been complaints about the amount of noise produced by the rotor blades and the unsightly appearance of the giant fans. More people are upset upon learning that birds have been killed when they fly into the blades