Man has long used the power of the wind to propel ships, pump water, and power mills to grind grain. Now this abundant and free natural energy is being put to another use, producing electricity.
Green energy from the sun and wind are free and renewable sources of energy that are being explored as alternative energy sources around the world. But a small town in the United States is actually running entirely on wind power.
Rural Rock Port, Missouri uses 4 wind turbines to produce all of the city’s electrical power. The turbines now power every computer, every appliance and every light in the city, including the only traffic light on Main Street, making this city of 1,300 the first and only in the country to run entirely on wind power.
The wind turbines are projected to produce 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, which is actually 3 million kilowatt hours more than the city expects to need.
The company that contracted with the city to build and install the turbines hopes that the electrical output they provide will be enough to keep the electric bills of all homes and businesses in the city at current levels for 25 years.
The local landowners who lease the land on which the windmills sit are happy for more than just a reduction in their energy bills. Landowners are paid between $3,000 and $5,000 a year for the half-acre of property surrounding each turbine. That’s more than they could earn growing soybeans or corn.
The uncertainty of energy prices is making more people around the world more involved in using solar and wind energy to produce electricity. In the future we will have no choice but to make better use of our natural energy resources. The benefits of using natural energy as a means to produce clean, renewable energy can no longer afford to be ignored.
Many homeowners are finding that building a windmill at home is a great way to reduce their energy costs. Clean, efficient wind power is used in more homes each year in an effort to lower electricity costs and reduce reliance on utility companies.