Wind farms are probably as contentious a subject as they are popular in terms of generating green, clean energy to combat the rising emission of greenhouse gases and concomitant effects of global warning. So, bearing in mind both the aesthetic and practical aspects of wind farms, just where is the best place to put them?

First of all, by very definition, wind farms require their collection of wind turbines to be located in an area where they can gain maximum exposure to wind, unimpeded by either natural or man-made obstacles. There would be precious little point in allocating resources into an energy-saving green alternative that failed to produce sufficient energy as a result of poor placement. To this end, perhaps the best of locations for a wind farm is a sea-based, off-shore location. Firstly, an off-shore location is ideal, due to the fact that the ocean allows access to much stronger and more constant winds than perhaps could be have in any other location. This will result in far more wind power being transformed into electrical power, so initial coast of set up will be recouped rapidly, and down time due to low or no winds will be kept to a bare minimum. Also, due to aesthetic arguments, locating wind farms out at sea keeps them away from residential areas, where they have caused controversy in the past. It does, however, require logistical planning with regards to transporting the energy to utilities grids on land. This is normally achieved by sub-marine piping. Such an off-shore location can also address issues related to noise that many residents have raised in response to past proposals for local, land-based wind farm sites.

Due to the fact that ideal wind-speeds of around thirty miles per hour are ideal for the purposes of wind farm electricity generation, coastal areas are also idea in many respects, although we then come into the realms of resident’s protests. Also, as wind speed generally increase in relation to higher altitudes, hill tops are also an excellent alternative for wind farm and turbine placements, as long as local considerations are also met and addressed. The reason for placing wind turbine at higher altitude is in relation to something called the ‘wind profile power law’. In obeying this law, if you then double the altitude at which you place wind turbines, you subsequently increase your expected wind speeds by 10%, which will increase your expected power yield from the turbines by 34%. Placing wind turbine and farms at such altitudes also reduce any possibility of interference in wind flow, meaning that the turbines’ productivity can remain unhindered by such object as trees, buildings, hills and any other natural or manmade growths or structures. Also, isolated inhabitations such as small communities and farms can have their own wind farms to supply their electricity needs. This has become increasingly popular in recent years as wind turbines have significantly dropped in price and improved in power production in order to allow more and more people around the world to effectively utilize them in daily life.

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