“Look, your grace, (...), what you see over there aren't giants—they're windmills; and what seems to be arms are the sails that rotate the millstone when they're turned by the wind.”

Don Quixote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes, XVII century

Nowadays, Don Quixote would be very contemporaneous, there are “giants and windmills” that are part of our landscapes that generate electric energy in a sustainable way. Using wind energy is not recent, it dates back to a time when wind power was already used to move sailing boats, pump water, and grind grains. Yet, today, it has increasingly more impact and may, in fact, change the world when we talk about sustainability.

In a time where scarcity of energy resources is a pressing matter, as well as worrying about climate change, a stricter bet on renewable energies, such as using wind power, an inexhaustible and natural resource, is crucial for the energy transition to happen and for the construction of a better future.

Producing renewable energies - wind energy

Renewable energies come from natural sources and are able to regenerate in a short period, sustainably. Examples of it are: wind energy, solar energy, geothermal (Earth’s core heat), hydro energy, and bioenergy.

On the other hand, non-renewable energies, fossil fuels, like coal, petrol, and gas, take hundreds of millions of years to form. The aggravating factor, when burnt to produce energy, is the issuing of greenhouse effect gas, with detrimental effects, such as carbon dioxide.

Among other advantages, wind energy, being renewable, is rather essential to decarbonization, therefore, mitigating climate change.

Wind power

Wind energy is obtained through wind power, through a wind turbine, or a windmill. This equipment takes advantage of wind power (transforms kinetic energy - motion - from air streams) and converts it to electric energy. The bigger the turbines and wind intensity, the more electricity is produced.

To capitalize the most from wind power, eolic parks are placed in locations where there is more wind. APREN (Portuguese Association of Renewable Energies) explains that eolic power plants are installed in regions where the annual average speed of the wind exceeds 6 m/s, usually in mountainous areas or off the coast.

Besides land installations (onshore), eolic power plants can be installed at sea (offshore), being able to harness the wind, more effectively, in maritime regions and the fact that there is much more area available, despite the restrictions resulting from navigation, fishing areas, and protected areas.

These “gigantic windmills” are usually between 80 and 120 meters high and are placed in the direction of the wind so that the power coming from the air streams will also power the windmill.

And it’s inside this equipment where the magic happens: wind power is extracted and the mechanical energy from rotation is converted into electric energy. The energy produced is later carried through underground cables to a substation for transformation so that it can then reach homes, companies, and everywhere, through a distribution network.

A sustainable bet

Bringing back Cervantes, it’s not an illusion, wind energy is already a reality with countless advantages for the planet, which means, there are countless advantages for all of us. We’ll describe some of those advantages:

Renewable

Wind energy is produced through an inexhaustible natural resource - wind.

Clean

It does not issue polluting gas or generates waste because it doesn’t use combustion processes. By reducing the use of fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, among other harmful substances, that change the climate and that are responsible for the greenhouse effect.

Low cost

This energy is much cheaper than any other energy, whether in kW cost or in its maintenance, particularly in places where the wind is stronger and more frequent.

Energy independence

It promotes energy independence and is self-reliant, against fossil fuels and other countries.

Local benefits

It generates investment and jobs, especially where eolic parks are established. According to Wind Europe Association, 300.000 jobs were already created in Europe in this sector only, among other benefits it brings to local communities.

Versatile

It’s promising and versatile, also because it can also be associated with other renewable energies, like solar.

Safe

It doesn’t imply great risks in management, in comparison to fossil fuels.

(Good) News about wind energy in the World

Wind energy represents today 15% of electricity in Europe. WindEurope, an association that promotes the use of wind energy in Europe, posts information regarding this matter on their website, and gives us the chance to learn about wind quality in real time.

According to data released from Directorate General of Geology and Energy (DGGE), in Portugal, onshore wind energy constitutes one of the primary electricity sources in the national electric system, only being overpassed by hydro energy and in years where there are abundant rains.

Although it’s distributed all over the country, electricity production coming from wind energy is located in districts like Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, and Viseu.

Good news to the World, through the positive impact that wind energy has and might have, are those brought to us by the Global Wind Report 2022, where we’ve highlighted:

• Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, had record years for new terrestrial installations.
• 21,1 GW of offshore wind capacity were commissioned in 2021, three times more than 2020, making 2021 the best year in the history of offshore wind energy.
• The total global capacity for wind energy is currently up to 837 GW, which helps the world to avoid over 1,2 billion tons of CO2, per year.
• Market perspectives for the wind energy global industry seem to be even more positive. It’s expected that 557 GW of new capacity is added to the current 837 GW in the next five years. That makes about 110 GW per year.
• However, this growth needs to quadruple by the end of the decade if the world wants to remain on the path of 1,5°C and zero liquid emission by 2050.

Betting on wind energy is having a vision aimed at environmental change, sustainability, and the construction of a better World. What’s more important to remember is that “Renewable energy is (also) freedom energy”, in an adaptation of the introducing quote of the WindEurope 2022 video opening.

The threatening giants, not Don Quixote’s, but the ones of the polluting energy, will continue to exist, but the reality of wind energy and other renewable energies has been achieving further relevance. They are the present and the future.