US DOE

-Statement From the U.S.Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (U.S.DOE EERE)-

http://www.eere.energy.gov/

"Here you'll find information about the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). EERE invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. " (U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2011)

Source 1 is an office that branches from the United States Department of Energy called the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources. Under their "Renewable Energy" section one can browse to the wind section and search the different areas of that section. There is a lot of information contained in some of the sections of this website but a search bar at the top to search out key words in different sections of the website. As a whole source 1 is a very useful resource because it has information on wind energy but on existing energy use and consumption.

I.Current Energy Sources and Uses

Information about different types of fuels such as fossil fuels, nuclear   energy, and other renewable resources at the U.S. Department of Energy home page at http://energy.gov/ but more information about specific renewable energies can be found in the U.S. DOE EERE website. It was difficult

II. Average Wind Speed and Energy Production Potential

It is important to consider the average wind speeds in an area to first analyze weather or no the site would be productive for a wind farm. Finding the right place to put a wind farm really depends on geography, and average wind speeds give testimony to the best locations for wind farms. Height is also another factor where average wind speeds would be greater at 100 meters compared to 80 meters. These factors must be taken into consideration when planning the location of a wind farm. http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp is a great source to refer to that has information on average wind speeds throughout the United States. Sine the website is run by the United States Department of Energy it is a credible source of information. For average wind speeds specifically in New York, visit http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_resource_maps.asp?stateab=ny for more information.

Wind farms are showing up all over the United States, and in New York, as a renewable source of energy but what is the amount of energy that the turbines can create? Information about the current installed capacity of wind energy in the United States can be found at http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp. The site shows maps from the late 1990's to now showing the progression of installed wind energy. The numbers shown represent figures of megawatts expected to be produced from wind turbines around the country.

III.Average amount of energy produced and greenhouse gas emissions replacement

The  U.S. DOE EERE gives an overview of what it would be like to have a small presonal wind turbine here  http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10880. There are other options of wind energy that does not require a large scale wind farm that feeds into the grid. Searching through the U.S. DOE EERE website an estimate from the on greenhouse emissions reduced by using wind energy was not available to my knowledge. Consult source three for more information concerning the issues in topic three.

IV. Net Metering Laws

Net metering laws is the basic idea that the owner of the property where wind turbines are located as an incentive get a portion of the energy that is created on their property put into whatever energy is taken away from their own personal uses. Some times the energy that is created on peoples property exceeds the amount of energy that land owner uses. More information about net metering about net metering try searching in the search bar “net metering” on the

U.S. DOE EERE's main site or by clicking here  http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/netmetering.shtml.  Source 1 has even more information about net metering which can be found here http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10600 along with a good overview of how net metering works with the grid.