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Electricity and Basic Electronics
highest. In addition, some consider the wind
turbines eyesores and do not want them built
in their community. Others are concerned
because the blades on the wind turbines can
kill birds that fl y into them.
The major advantage of wind turbines
over coal, oil, or other fuel is their ability to
produce electricity without pollution. As coal
and other fuels are burned, they produce
carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur
dioxide, which contribute to air pollution and
other environmental problems. Wind energy
allows for the conservation of other fuels and
does not pollute the air.
If you examine your electric bill, you
will see that the utility companies give their
customers a choice about using green power.
The term green power describes electricity
produced from renewable energy sources.
Since green power generally costs more to
produce, customers can voluntarily pay a
premium of two to three cents more per kilo-
watt. This provides the incentive for the power
companies to use renewable sources.
Another favorable feature of wind
energy is that the wind turbines do not use
much space. The land very near the towers
can continue to be used by the landowners.
Farmers can continue planting and harvesting
their crops on all their land, except for a small
section around each tower. This is not true of
other types of power generation sources, such
as power plants.
Additional Research
Another area of research for alternative
energy sources is tidal currents and tidal
bores. There are two high tides and two low
tides every day. That means the water moves
out twice and moves back in twice each day.
A tidal bore is a rapid increase in the leading
edge of water returning up a river because
of tidal action. Tides can be as high as 20´
or more above the low tide. Tidal bores have
been found to reach 30′ high in some rivers in
China.
There are companies that have mapped
the tides all around the world at different
times of the year. These companies have
begun installing generating equipment at
specifi c locations where the tides can produce
the most electricity. If you examine this area
of research, you can determine exactly where
these locations are found.
The Edison Electric Institute provides docu-
ments detailing ways to conserve energy and
save money. Visit their website at www.eei.org
and search for “energy effi ciency”.
Summary
• Some ways to conserve energy in the
area of lighting are turning on lights that
are necessary and turning them off when
they are no longer needed and using
energy effi cient bulbs.
• Fluorescent bulbs can provide the same
amount of light at a lower wattage than
incandescent bulbs.
• Energy effi cient appliances can be chosen
by looking at their rating and fi nding the
model with the best rating.
• Some energy effi ciency rating scales
show how much energy an appliance
uses compared to others in its class;
others use an objective scale that rates
how effi cient an appliance is according to
some criteria.
• Buildings are insulated to keep the outside
air from affecting the temperature of the
air inside the building.
• Double pane and triple pane are energy-
effi cient types of windows.
• A geothermal heating system extends
far underground and uses the steady
temperature of the earth to keep a home
warm in the winter and cool in the
summer.