Harnessing the Breeze: How Wind Energy is Powering a Sustainable Future

The planet is electric. It is literally filled with ways for us to create renewable energy and power our lives. Not only can renewable energy provide us with electricity, but it can also help us move away from a dependence on fossil fuels. Our Power, Our Planet is the theme for Earth Day 2025, which carries a focus on “harnessing renewable energy to build a healthy, sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for us all.”

With this theme in mind, we are focusing our next few weeks on the different types of renewable energy options. This renewable energy series will take a look at the good, the bad, and the encouraging sides of each type of renewable energy. This week’s focus is on wind as a renewable energy source.

Why Wind Energy is the Future

Even though I’ve never seen a functioning wind turbine in my entire life, wind energy has been around for thousands of years. From being used to power boats on the Nile in 5000 B.C. to being used to pump water in China in 200 B.C., the use of wind for power is not a new concept.

Our world’s dependence on oil is one of the things that ironically is driving an uptick in renewable energy production. Today, our dependence on fossil fuels is causing detrimental impact on our planet and is motivating people to find cleaner ways to produce energy. Back in the 1970’s, there was an oil shortage that prompted a search for alternative energy sources and this led to an increase in wind energy production.

Wind energy keeps growing. In 1990 only 16 countries were generating wind power. By 2022, wind power was generated by 127 countries. This growth gives hope for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

From Nature to Your Home: The Science Behind Wind Energy

Wind energy is a clean, renewable source of power that uses wind turbines to convert wind into electricity. When the wind blows and spins the turbine’s blades, the blades turn a generator to produce electricity. The stronger the wind, the more energy is generated–though there is a point at which wind is too strong and the blades need to stop.

Wind power is sustainable because, as long as there’s wind, it never runs out. Wind farms can be built on land and offshore in areas where there is a lot of wind. As technology improves, wind energy is becoming cheaper and more efficient, making it an ideal way to transition away from fossil fuels.

To learn more about how wind energy is created and to see the different aspects of a wind turbine, check out this great visual animation: Explore a Wind Turbine. Just hover over the different areas of the animation and click the various icons in the corner to see all of the different views.

Why Wind Energy is a Better Option for the Planet

There are many positive aspects to using wind energy. For starters, wind is a naturally occurring part of our planet’s cycle, making it a sustainable source to harness for renewable energy.

“Wind is formed by pressure differences in the Earth’s atmosphere, which are in turn due to temperature differences. In actual fact, the Sun heats the Earth’s surface unevenly, creating areas of high and low pressure. Air always moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, thereby generating wind.”
– Enel Green Power, How is wind formed?

In order to harness the wind to create energy, the wind turbines used have a small environmental footprint overall. They are machines that do not release emissions and do not need additional water to cool down, nor do they need fuel to run.

The fact that wind turbines and the creation of wind energy do not contribute to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions is great for our planet and the slowing down of climate change. It is also great for us because the air we breath will be cleaner.

According to the American Clean Power 2022 Market Report:

• Zero metric tons of carbon dioxide is emitted when wind and solar generate electricity;
• 426 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions are avoided per year with current U.S. wind and solar power, the equivalent of 93 million cars worth of carbon emissions;
• $20-51 billion dollars is the economic value of health benefits from emission reductions from current clean power generation.

Wind energy is also cost effective and can generate jobs for communities where wind farms are established. There are so many benefits to clean energy projects and the use of clean energy in our lives.

The Latest Challenges and Breakthroughs in Wind Energy

One of the first challenges that I think of with wind turbines is the fact that they can kill birds and bats with their blades. It’s a simple fact that anything we build can have an impact on animals and therefore the eco-systems those animals live in. While studies say that the number of birds and bats killed by wind turbines are minimal when compared to the deaths calculated in other ways, it is a fact that shouldn’t be ignored.

While a wind turbine itself takes up a small amount of land, therefore having a small footprint, they would require service roads and some other disruptions to the land around them in order for set up and maintenance. One of the main objections to wind farms is their appearance and disruption to the view of the landscape. Along with the visual disruption, the wind turbines will bring an amount of noise pollution as well.

Considering landscape, it is a reality that wind turbines and wind farms will take up space. And this is space that could be used for other purposes, such as farms for food. There’s a delicate balance that needs to be considered and made when planning out future wind farms. There will be an impact on those who live in the areas of these wind farms and their livelihoods do need to be considered as well.

An area that will continue to grow as well is the offshore wind farms placed in the ocean. This comes with challenges and concerns for disrupting marine life, but at the same time come with a lot of potential for generating clean energy.

The Impact of Wind Energy Around the World

Wind energy is being used all over the world. The growth and spread of this technology is encouraging news for our planet and the fight against climate change.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the places wind energy can be found:

– Half of Denmark’s electricity is from wind and solar power. In 2021, Denmark built a wind farm that can power approximately 600,000 households.
– The state of Texas led the USA in wind-powered electricity generation in 2023. This accounted for 28% of all USA wind-sourced electricity. For a look at all of the wind turbines around the USA and to see how the 75,633 turbines are spread throughout the country, check out this database map: US Wind Turbine Database.
– Spain is a leader in wind energy generation with a total of 22,210 wind turbines.
– Germany’s wind energy production in 2022 accounted for 22.8% of the country’s electricity consumption.
– India ranks fourth in the world with over 40 GW of installed capacity (As a quick aside, 1 GW = 1,000 megawatts (MW), and since 1 MW can power around 750-1,000 homes, 40 GW could theoretically supply electricity to tens of millions of homes).

How to Advocate for Clean Energy

Supporting clean energy, like wind power, is easier than you think!

Here are some practical steps to make a difference:

1. Support Clean Energy Policies – Contact local representatives and encourage them to support renewable energy projects and incentives for wind and solar power. Look for ways to participate in letter writing campaigns and petitions supporting renewable and sustainable energy projects.
2. Switch to a Green Energy Provider – If you live in an area where you can choose your energy provider, check for a provider that has a renewable energy option and make the switch!
3. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint – Small choices, like using energy-efficient appliances, reducing electricity use, and biking instead of driving, help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
4. Invest in Clean Energy at Home – Installing solar panels or a small wind turbine can cut your electricity bills and contribute to the clean energy movement.

A Renewable Future Starts With Us

Wind energy has been around for ages and is continuing to make an impact today all around the world. With a small footprint and a renewable energy source, wind energy is an important resource for our move away from fossil fuels and for making our lives more sustainable. Seeing the reality of sustainable energy sources and their growth is an encouraging fact that we can rally behind to support our planet.

Let’s keep in touch! Sign up to receive email updates from A Sustainably Simple Life below:

We’d love to add you to our monthly email list! Send us an email with “Subscribe” in the subject line to asustainablysimplelife [at] gmail.com or fill out the form here: Subscribe to A Sustainably Simple Life

You can unsubscribe at any time.