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In search for clean and renewable energy to meet our ever-increasing needs, wind power might seemto be the perfect choice. People have been using the power of the wind for centuries. Ancient peopleused it to move ships, pump water and grind grain. Around the end of 19th century, the invention of thewind turbine made it possible to use wind to create electricity. Now, you can see large-scale installationsof wind turbines, called wind farms, provide clean electricity for people around the world. However, evenwith the advantages that wind energy gives, challenges to using this renewable resource can be found.
The first advantage of wind power is that it is truly a renewable resource. No matter how much windwe use to create electricity, we will never run out of it. But wind does not provide a nonstop supply ofenergy； even the windiest places on Earth have periods of calm, the windless weather. Therefore, windpower cannot be used as a single source of eletricity. It can only work with other sources that also createpower.
Although wind power creates electricity without any dangerous emissions to our environment, it isn’tto say that wind power does no harm to wild animals and our environment. First, its giant quickly-turning-around blades may hit birds and bats by accident and lead to their death. Second, the turbines also causenoise pollution. When the giant fans are turned on, the soundfrom their action can be annoying and give a headache topeople that live nearby. Fortunately, wind turbines are oftenset up in the areas far from homes and cities. The largetowers, which are the bases for the turbines, also have a smallfootprint—they don’t take up a lot of space. Besides, evenlarge wind farms with lots of wind turbines can share land withfarms and ranches.
With all of the challenges of wind power, it clearly cannot be the only solution for clean energyproduction. But its advantages have already made wind power play an important part when people try tolook for a clean, safe and renewable energy to replace the traditional power plants.