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Wind energy is one of the most abundant energies and
one of the fastest growing sources of electricity in the
world.
It is a clean energy and already powers over 14
million homes worldwide. Portugal with an 832 kilometre
coastline is in an ideal position to take advantage of
prevailing winds off the Atlantic Ocean.
And it is doing just that. In March 2007
there were over 1,857 operational wind farms in Portugal, producing 2761 megawatts of electricity combined, which equates to
enough energy to power 2,000 households. |
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However the Portuguese
government, in 2007, increased its wind power target for 2010, set by
the Kyoto Protocol, from 3,750 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts.
There are more wind farms in construction and more planned,
the majority of which are destined for the Coimbra area, due to the
district's altitude. |
What is
Wind Energy?
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Wind Energy is generated in the form of electricity by converting
the rotation of turbine blades into a electrical (or kinetic) energy by
means of an electrical generator.
Harnessing wind energy is not a
modern day idea. Windmills, which have been around for centuries, used
the power of wind to turn mechanical machinery to grind corn, crush
grain, pump water and aid physical work. One of the problems with wind energy is it's intermittence.
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