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Wind power has been used as a form of energy for over 2,000 years. Firstly, to grind cereals and then to power ships, and recently it has been used to create electricity.

There has been a huge increase in the use of wind power in the world.

This has been the result of a desire to create electricity more sustainably, along with technological advances that have reduced the cost of wind power and increased its efficiency.

Wind power in the UK

The UK has more than 11,000 on and offshore wind turbines. These can produce almost one quarter of the UK's electricity supply. The number of wind turbines will need to increase if the country is to meet its 2035 target of generating all energy from “clean sources." The UK currently has the biggest offshore wind power capacity in the world.

Wind power has a variety of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

• The wind is a renewable, sustainable resource and will never run out. This means that when non-renewable resources such as coal and oil have shortages there will still be electricity created and so people will still be able to use their power appliances, in their home maintaining their quality of life.
• Wind farms do not release carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change or sulfur dioxide, which can create acid rain.
• Wind power improves energy security of countries as it reduces the amount of energy that countries have to buy from abroad to meet their demands.
• Micro wind turbines are a form of appropriate technology as they are inexpensive to buy and easy to maintain, this makes them suitable for less developed countries and can support future development.

Disadvantages

• Commercial wind farms need large amounts of capital and are often uneconomic unless there are government subsidies.
• Wind farms do not create electricity when the wind does not blow or when the wind blows too strongly.
• When the wind blows, the turbines are noisy. They are situated in areas where there is little other noise and so can disturb the locals, causing a conflict between the local people and the generating company. There have been instances where birds were killed by flying into the turbines.
• Wind turbines are usually sited on top of hills and are 30 metres high. This means that in a beautiful rural area they are easily visible. Although some people like the look of turbines, other people living in the area might think that they create an eyesore and cause visual pollution.