Reading Position Paper

Palafox, Andersen

WIND ENERGY AS A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCE IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are many kinds of energy sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear energy,

geothermal energy, and others. Although among them all, fossil fuels are mainly used

despite the fact there are several cons or disadvantages to it. Some may not harm our

environment while others may bring irreversible effects like global warming and air

pollution to our planet. Therefore it is crucial for us to know the advantages and

disadvantages of the different energy sources that are available and the way we

choose to obtain energy may one day change the lives of many. As a matter of fact,

China has already realized this and is aiming for renewable energy sources to account

for 35% of their energy consumption and lessen their fossil fuel consumption to 20%

by 2030 (South China Morning Post, 2018). This is a sign that shows just how severe

things may be and helps push other countries in the Asia region to convert to

renewable energy sources.

The Philippines is a third world country and like most third world countries there

is an ever-increasing amount of pollution and part of it is due to non-renewable

resources such as fossil fuels that emit dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide. In fact,

fossil fuel consumption in the Philippines was at 61.99% during 2014 (IEA Statistics,

2014). According to Melissa Denchark (2018), fossil fuels can emit dangerous or

harmful pollutants in the air even before they’re burned which can lead to a child having

leukemia and blood disorders. With all that being said, a more sustainable energy
source is required for both the environment, and for health's sake, the world needs to

change their ways, and wind energy is one step needed to reduce the harmful effects

because of the several benefits it has.

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of alternative energy and it

also is a clean fuel source. It utilizes the wind or the airflow in the earth’s atmosphere.

When the wind blows past a wind turbine it rotates the blades and the kinetic energy

from the wind is used to rotate it which then produces mechanical energy, after this

process the mechanical energy gets turned into electricity by a generator that’s

connected to the wind turbines. This process of generation of energy does not involve

any kind of harmful emissions to our environment. According to Arise (2019), most

common forms of energy generates vast amounts of pollution in their extraction

especially when harvesting energy from coal mines and nuclear plants. However, wind

power does not harbor these kinds of problems and the cost of the materials used to

make the wind farms can be made back within 6 months of operation. The windmill

could also be recycled for other purposes once it is deemed out of date or unusable,

therefore it is acceptable to say that wind power is environment-friendly, sustainable

and cost-effective. Therefore, it is acceptable to say that wind power is environment-

friendly, sustainable and cost-effective.

Although, there are still some unnoticeable cons when using wind power. As

mentioned by Dallas Lyod (2014) Wind farms can have an aesthetic impact on the

surroundings. Some people believe that massive windmills disrupt the beauty of

nature. Windmills can also be dangerous for flying animals since the blades of a

windmill are incredibly large it can easily harm a flock of migrating birds. Noise can
also be a very annoying side effect especially if the wind farm is located near the city

or residential areas. There is also a possibility that windmills located in bodies of water

might collide with boats at night.

As of right now, wind energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the

world due to its efficiency and low cost, however, there are still some concerns

regarding the negative effects of it, says the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable

Energy (n.d). Compared to other sustainable energy sources like geothermal energy

and hydrothermal energy, wind power does not have a big impact on the environment.

Wind energy has the potential to be the most sustainable energy source but

there are a few things that hinder its progress like the time it takes to find a good

location and to transport the materials there, but if these issues are resolved there is

almost no doubt that wind energy will become the most used sustainable energy

source.
Sources

China sets renewable energy target of 35 per cent by 2030. (2018, September 26).

Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2165831/c

hina-steps-green-energy-push-revised-renewable-target-35-2030

Denchak, M. (2019, July 16). Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.

Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/fossil-fuels-dirty-facts

Philippines Energy Situation. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://energypedia.info/wiki/Philippines_Energy_Situation

Philippines - Fossil fuel energy consumption. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/philippines/fossil-fuel-

energy-consumption

Wind power is a sustainable form of energy. (n.d.).

Retrieved from http://www.arise.se/en/wind-power-sustainable-form-energy