Knowing that the fastest growing source of electricity in the world currently is wind power, what is the main environmental advantage and environmental concern to be considered by any community considering wind power's future for their area?
What will be an ideal response?
The major environmental advantage for wind power is that it requires no fuel to generate electricity. Therefore, there is no need for mining, drilling, no radioactive wastes, no need for water in cooling towers, or any water pollution effects. Because there is no fuel to burn, there is no release of air pollutants or greenhouse gases produced with wind turbine generation of electricity. On the negative side, some biologists acknowledge that there is a risk of bird and bat mortality associated with wind farms, but note that this impact is very small compared to the millions of birds that are killed annually by domestic house cats or by flying into cell phone towers.
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Global circulation patterns of winds and ocean currents, which drive weather systems and, ultimately, climate patterns are created by
A) the coriolis force.
B) frictional force caused by the Earth's spinning on its axis.
C) imbalances created by energy surpluses and deficits at the equator and poles, respectively.
D) the differential heating properties of land and water.
The U.S. General Mining Act of 1872, although encouraging of the domestic mining industry, also ________
A) makes mining unprofitable except for the largest corporations B) opens mining rights to foreign nations which stake claims on U.S. land C) gives away resources located on public land almost for free D) has allowed mining in urban centers with dense commercial development E) has pollution and remediation clauses that are too strict
Almost half of the world's identified species are _____.
A. worms B. amphibians C. reptiles D. insects E. birds
A wind wave that arrives at the coast on a calm day is best referred to as ____
a. an erratic b. an anomaly c. swell d. longshore drifting