Renewable: Wind & Solar

Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 10.4.5

Wind and Solar

Instead of fossil fuels, other sources of energy can be used as a more sustainable fuel option.

Wind power involves using the wind to turn turbine blades to generate electricity.
Advantages:
They are a simple way to produce electricity in windy places like the UK.
They are quite cheap to run once they are built (they only need servicing).
Wind turbines do not release any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Wind turbines are quite difficult and expensive to construct, and the plastic needed to make turbines needs oil - so turbines are not actually free from pollution.
They are noisy, take up a lot of space and are unpleasant to look at for some people (noise and visual pollution).
Moderate wind is needed to make them work, and storm winds can damage them (cannot be used in high winds).
As Betz law states, they are only efficient 59% of the time and you need a lot of them to provide good power.

A wind turbine 25m taller than other onshore turbines in Aylesbury provides energy for 2,000 homes.
But residents are concerned about it being visually displeasing.
Environmentalists are concerned about the potential harm to birds.
There are concerns that the supply may be intermittent depending on the frequency and intensity of the wind.

Solar panels use the sun’s rays to create electricity.
Advantages:
This source of energy will not run out.
It is cheap to run once the solar panels are in place
No noise or pollution is produced.
They are popular, with few objections to them.
Solar energy can be produced in remote locations that cannot be powered by the national grid.

Solar electricity still requires a high strike price, meaning that it is a relatively expensive form of electricity for its consumers.
Solar panels are expensive to set up.
You can’t use them at night or in areas that aren’t sunny.
Large areas of land are needed to be able to have enough panels to generate a decent amount of power.
Panels are currently made from non-renewable plastics.

Solar panels covering an area equal to 175 football pitches and costing £50 million have been set up in Christchurch. They will provide energy for 75% of Bournemouth’s homes.
There are arguments against the solar farm because of the vast area of productive farmland being used.