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3 pages/β‰ˆ825 words
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APA
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Engineering
Type:
Research Paper
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Renewable Energy Source: Wind Power and Its Advantages and Disadvantages

Research Paper Instructions:

One of the fundamental building blocks in energy is the economics associated with the source of energy. For the most part we all have a decent understanding of the economics of energy such as gas prices. As the cost of a barrel of oil increases, gas prices follow. The reverse is also true, although falling gas prices generally takes longer to happen when compared to prices rising!
Thinking about all renewable energy sources you have learned about, and the Short Reading Assignments choose one of the renewable energy sources and do some research on the economics of the source. What are some of the advantages of the source and what are some of the disadvantages in terms of economics (money if that is easier for you to think of). One of the key benchmarks used to determine which source of energy is the most cost-effective or least cost-effective is to look at Levelized Cost of Energy or LCoE.
The LCoE considers everything that goes into the production of energy from the development, construction, operations and maintenance, and fuel associated with the facility. There are several LCoE calculations from banks and other institutions so feel free to investigate those and find the one that you like the best. With that information you should be able to continue your research to discover why the LCoE is what it is. Feel free to make some educated guesses if you are not completely sure why the LCoE is what it is.
Now you do not have to use LCoE, that is a straightforward measure, and its comparison is even and, on an apples-to-apples comparison, however, you may choose to take another perspective because cost may not be the most crucial factor in your opinion. Perhaps your opinion is more focused on electric vehicles vs. gasoline fueled vehicles and can the electric vehicle be a true replacement for a traditional gas vehicle.

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:

Renewable Energy Source
Author’s Name
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Professor’s Name
Date
Renewable Energy Source
Wind power is one of the renewable energy sources that contributes to electricity generation in the United States of America (USA). In particular, the USA is in the frontline when it comes to replacing fossil fuels with renewable power sources to reduce the rate of air pollution. For an extended period, the overreliance on non-renewable energy sources has significantly contributed to global warming, which pose adverse effects on the environment and humanity. The paper focuses on how the USA is adopting wind power and the economic advantages and disadvantages of this renewable source of energy.
President Joe Biden’s administration has a target of generating 30 GW from offshore wind projects. The first two successful wind power projects in the USA were the Coastal Virginia Offshore and Block Island Wind Farm of Rhode Island (Kolodny, 2021). Although there exist numerous challenges in meeting this goal, it is now certain that by 2025, the country will have 4,733 MW of wind power. In addition, from 2025 to 2030, another 16,218 MW energy would be generated from this renewable energy source (Dholakia, 2022). The following graph shows the planned offshore wind capacity in MW that would be generated by the USA.
Figure 1
Planned Offshore Wind Capacity in the USA (MW)

Source: /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-offshore-wind-pipeline-reaches-30-7-gw-68749790
Figure 1 shows that the USA will continue to increase its generation of wind power in the upcoming years. Since 2012, the USA officials have already leased approximately 1.7 million acres of the federal waters for eighteen offshore wind projects (Dholakia, 2022). The current government is fast-tracking the project reviews to ensure that it meets its threshold of 30 GW by 2030.
The USA government has shown significant effort in adopting wind power on large scale from onshore and offshore projects. The Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) entails the estimated revenue for building and operating a generator in a specific cost recovery period. For instance, the LCOE for onshore wind capacity usually ranges from $30.01-$65.65/ MWh (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2022). Already, about 42 states have utility-scale wind energy projects that generate a total of around 380 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). In 2021, the 5 states with the highest electricity generated from wind were Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. When combined, these states have approximately 56% of the total electricity generated from wind (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2022). Notably, the USA’s waters off the coasts have significant potential for wind energy, which is why the Biden administration is focusing on how the country can generate more wind power from offshore projects of wind energy.
Wind power has numerous economic advantages. Since 1980, the USA has had over 70,800 turbines built in about 1,500 wind power projects based on the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) (USGS,...
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