PV Gap

Thomas Said:

Wind turbines, generators driven by waves/tides and solar panels take energy out of the environment. Has?

We Answered:

Hey Chris, Sam is correct. The use of a wind turbine for example, has such a small effect on the local wind patterns. How much? Did you know the most efficient wind turbine in the world is 37% efficient? That means two thirds of the wind that goes through it's rotor is unnaffected. There is enough wind energy in North and South Dakota to power the entire US power grid, even at 37%. But beyond that, even if we could make devices that capture a larger amount of the existing forces of nature, it might have small short scale effects on weather patterns, but the large picture remains the same. Let me explain:

If the sun shines on the roof of your house, it heats up and sends radiant energy back into the air. If it shines a solar panel on the roof instead, the solar panel doesn't get quite as warm as the roof, because some of the energy is wicked off through the wiring to run the refrigerator and TV. But when the refrigerator and TV run, they get hot, and the same amount of radiant energy is eventually leaked back into the air. It might happen later in the day, or in a slightly different location, in the end it would be the same as moving your house 10 feet to the left and letting the radiant energy emit from there. The energy from the sun ends up in the earths biosphere someplace, we just tend to move it around a little bit.

When we burn fossil fuel, and allow the combustion wastes to vent into the atmosphere, then we are making some real changes to the chemistry of the biosphere. The atmosphere can hold more energy and emit less into space, which is how global warming works in the end. At least a wind turbine, a solar panel, or a water wheel can offset some of this chemistry from fossil fuels, that is the real value in using renewable energy.

Try googling, "The Butterfly Effect," some time, it is an interesting concept that gets to the heart of what you are asking. I will list a few websites below you also might find interesting. Take care Chris, Rudydoo