Wind Energy is blowing in change across the globe and offering hope as a large scale solution to global climate change. In Bermuda, a country once heavily reliant on wind for commerce and travel, it could also prove a viable power source.

According to the World Wind Energy Association, power generated by wind represents only 1.5 percent of global electricity capacity but this emission free renewable energy source is the fastest growing form of new power capacity in Europe and has seen massive advances in both the US and, perhaps most importantly, China.

In fact, Global wind energy capacity grew by 30 percent last year, to reach total global installations of more than 120.8 GW by the end of 2008. Over 27 GW of new wind power generation capacity came online in 2008, 36 percent more than in 2007.

"These figures speak for themselves," said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). There is huge and growing global demand for emissions-free wind power, which can be installed quickly, virtually everywhere in the world. Wind energy is the only power generation technology that can deliver the necessary cuts in CO2 in the critical period up to 2020, when greenhouse cases must peak and begin to decline to avoid dangerous climate change.

"The 120 GW of global wind capacity in place at the end of 2008 will produce 260 TWh and save 158 million tons of CO2 every year."

Wind energy is also now an important player in the world's energy markets and the global economy. The global wind market for turbine installations in 2008 was worth about US$ 47.5 billion and GWEC's Chairman, Prof. Arthouros Zervos said: "The wind industry creates many new jobs; over 400,000 people are now employed in this industry, and that number will be in the millions in the near future."

Meanwhile, in Bermuda, studies have been conducted into the feasibility of wind power as a source of at least some the Island's electricity needs. In a Belco discussion paper on meeting the growing demand for power, wind was deemed as a possible solution, and the Government's new Green Paper on energy said "Bermuda has a strong wind resource...(and when) coupled with the high cost of oil, makes it likely that investments in wind technology will be paid back within an acceptable period of time."

However, both the Belco research and Government's paper cite several drawbacks to wind power including the intermittent nature of wind (and subsequent requirements for backup systems), where to place a large scale wind farm (with any plans to place wind turbines offshore presenting environmental impact concerns), and the initial cost of instalment (particularly if that instalment is offshore).

Despite the intermittent nature of wind power it can be combined with traditional power generators to provide a stable supply of electricity and, in addressing this concern the GWEC produced a report saying that improvements in forecasting accuracy allow for distribution networks to be more effectively managed and that "there is no need to back up every megawatt of wind energy with a megawatt of fossil fuel or other power".

Further studies in the UK have shown that if wind power were to supply up to 20 percent of electricity the additional cost to consumers for backup requirements would be minimal.

The move toward renewable energy sources is driven primarily by the identified need to reduce global carbon emissions or face the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. According to the GWEC if the global trend toward increased use of wind power continues they will be well on their way to saving a targeted 1.5 billions tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere by 2020. So hope seems to be floating on a fresh breeze.

For more information visit: www.gwec.net and to read the Government's Green Paper on energy visit the Department of Energy page at www.gov.bm.