Wind Energy: Growth & Job Opportunities

How would the world accept the idea of being fully powered by wind energy? Not many people are aware of the potential wind resource has. Probably the most basic illustration of wind being used as power is the sail catching the air and propelling the boat forward. Another would be windmills used to pump waters from wells or grid the harvest of wheat and flour. So much has changed as windmills have transformed to wind turbines that spin as the wind blows and captures the energy in nacelles and carries it to generators, ready for distribution to homes. There are several myths or misunderstandings of the use of wind farms and these are mostly based on perceptions of old technologies such as medieval windmills and the like. One myth states that wind farms are hazardous to humans. This is clearly untrue due to the non-existence of harmful pollutants, emissions or waste by-products in wind farms. Even the noise levels from the turbines are not of an uncomfortable level on the decibel scale. It is in fact around 50 decibels which is approximately near the ambient sound of staying at home, disproving the myth of it being too noisy. Another myth speaks out wind energy being too costly.  If we look at the world, wind energy doubled in capacity. It is predicted that by 2010, wind energy would be challenging gas as one of the lowest cost power source. A global snapshot shows that wind farms around the world produce 59,000 megawatts of power which is sufficient in providing electricity to 18 million household. This kind of technology is being tested by countries such as the United States, Canada, Spain, Germany and other European areas. Some have already started integrating this technology in their daily lives.

Having wind energy doesn’t just provide the world with a clean and virtually endless source of energy; they create career opportunities for people who in turn assist the world by further improving this technology and energy resource. Due to the requirement of sturdy and well constructed infrastructures, turbines and blades production and installment, gearbox production, and quality control needs expert engineers on mechanical, technical and operational levels. However, since present technology is much more advanced from its wheat grinding and water pumping roots,wind energy careers embrace a diversity of expertise and are interdisciplinary with wind energy training opportunities in many areas. Wind technology is not just creating the means of harnessing and distributing the energy but it takes into account the effects of the turbines and its locations on the environment and vice-versa as provided by Environment Assessment personnel. Studies on bird nesting, feeding and flight paths are routinely analyzed, for example, to make sure their safety is secured when the towers are built and operational. Opportunities for experts in aerodynamics, mathematics, and atmospheric science are essential in design, testing, wind energy analysis and interpretation.

Thorough research and development plays a vital role in the development of wind energy. Among its many initiatives are five areas that top the list in wind energy research. First is Turbine Research. This area is solely on understanding the natural wind flow, currents and turbulence in various scenarios to develop a more efficient turbine. Trials using computer generated models and simulations using principles of aerodynamics are done here. Next is Forecasting research. This area focuses on predicting and determining wind speeds, patterns and frequency during different seasons using previous data and updated ones. Third is Utility grid integration wherein the energy is harnessed and placed in a grid for controlling and enabling maximum output using different technologies. Energy storage research comes next in finding methods of storing or converting the energy to electricity or chemical energy such as hydrogen. Lastly, there is Wind resource assessment which is considered to be the most important area wherein assessors give a “face” or makes the wind resource “tangible” in a specific location by determining how much potential energy it can produce daily via wind patterns and frequency. This data is paired with the technical specifications when building a site as well as managing on-site operations in hopes of making a working “relationship” with the wind itself.

The Wind Energy industry is relatively a young, new form of technology that is making great strides and all the expertise is needed to make sure that it is handled with great care as well. The total achievement of harnessing the winds full potential can eliminate the use of fossil fuels that are damaging the environment. There are still several facets of this technology that has yet to be studied carefully and this not only does this mean potential new career opportunities.  The Government is spending billions of dollars in grants for research for a clean, efficient, energy source with the ability and capacity to make it a cleaner and healthier world.