Khizzer

__Wind Energy__

Wind is powered by the sun. In fact, all renewable energy, and even energy in fossil fuels, ultimately comes from the sun. The sun heats our planet to different temperatures in different places and at different times. This unequal distribution of heat is what creates wind as warm air rises and cooler air descends to fill the void. Wind is the ongoing movement of this air. As the sun warms the earth, it in turn, warms the air above it, making it less dense or lighter. As the light air rises, it creates a low pressure zone near the ground. Air from surrounding cooler areas rushes in to balance the pressure. These are called local winds. Temperature differences between the polar caps and equator, as well as the rotation of the earth, produce similar results on a global scale, called prevailing winds. So how much wind do we have in Canada? We have more than we could ever use, and it’s free. Our vast landscape, our three windy coastlines, the plains and mountains all contribute to this endless resource. Canada has still only scratched the surface of its massive wind energy potential, which currently powers over 1 million Canadian homes. Tomorrow we hope to do even more. Countries like Denmark already get over 20% of their electricity from wind. If we did the same in Canada, we would have enough wind energy to power 17 million homes! As long as the wind continues to blow, there is a great future in wind energ y.
 * __ Wind Facts __**
 * //An infinite source of clean power: Canada’s bountiful resource.//**




 * The (very) high and stable levels of general public support: at an abstract level about 80 per cent of EU citizens support wind energy;


 * The higher number of siting decisions to be made due to the current relatively small-scale nature of the energy source;
 * The visibility of wind energy devices and the proximity to the everyday life of citizens (if compared with the 'subterranean' and distant character of conventional power generation and fossil fuels extraction); and
 * The tensions between support and opposition concerning specific wind power developments at the local level: large majorities of people living near wind farm sites are in favour of their local wind farm (Warren et al., 2005), but wind planning and siting processes are facing significant challenges in some countries across Europe (Wolsink, 2007.