Advantages
1.Wind energy is a clean fuel source as it is fueled by the wind.It doesn’t pollute the earth like power plants,which rely on combustion of coal or natural gas.Another good thing is that wind turbine does not produce atmospheric emissions that cause greenhouse effect and acid rain.
2.Wind energy is widely used in USA because of the abundant wind supply in the nation.
3.Wind energy cannot be used up.It relies on the renewable power of the wind.Wind is actually caused by the rotation of the earth,the earth’s surface irregularities, and heating of the atmosphere by the sun.Thus we can say that wind is a form of solar energy.
4.Wind energy is a cheap renewable energy source.For every kilowatt-hour produced by wind energy,the cost is only about four to six cents.The cost depends upon the project financing and the wind source.
5.Wind turbines benefits the rural areas on which they are built.Wind turbines are always built on farms or ranches, where most of the best wind sites are found.This would not cause any trouble to the farmers and ranches because the wind turbines only use a fraction of the land.They can continue to work there and get rent payment by the power plant owners.
Disadvantages
1.Wind power must compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis. Depending on how energetic a wind site is, the wind farm may or may not be cost competitive. Although the setup cost of wind power plants have been decreased a lot in the past 10 years, it still requires a higher investment than fossil-fueled generators.
2.The major challenge to using wind as a source of power is that the wind is intermittent and it does not always blow when electricity is needed. Not all winds can be harnessed to meet the timing of electricity demands.
3.Good wind sites are always located in remote areas that are far from cities where the electricity is needed.This increases the cost for the electricity transfer.
4.Wind resource development may compete with other uses for the land and those alternative uses may be more highly valued than electricity generation.
5.Although wind power plants cause less environmental problem than other conventional power plants, there is some concern over the noise produced by the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts, and sometimes birds have been killed by flying into the rotors.