IELTS Academic Reading

Wind Power in the US Prompted by the oil crises of the 1 !"s# a wind$power ind%stry flo%rished briefly in the United States& '%t then world oil prices dropped# and f%nding for research into renewable energy was c%t& 'y the mid 1 ("s US interest in wind energy as a large$scale so%rce of energy had almost disappeared& The de)elopment of wind power at this time s%ffered not only from badly designed e*%ipment# b%t also from poor long$term planning# economic pro+ections that were too optimistic and the diffic%lty of finding s%itable locations for the wind t%rbines& ,nly now are technological ad)ances beginning to offer hope that wind power will come to be accepted as a reliable and important so%rce of electricity& There ha)e been significant s%ccesses in -alifornia# in partic%lar# where wind farms now ha)e a capacity of 1."" megawatts# comparable to a large n%clear or fossil$f%elled power station# and prod%ce 1&. per cent of the state/s electricity& 0e)ertheless# in the US# the image of wind power is still distorted by early fail%res& ,ne of the most persistent criticisms is that wind power is not a significant energy reso%rce& Researchers at the 'attelle 0orthwest Laboratory# howe)er# estimate that today wind t%rbine technology co%ld s%pply 1" per cent of the electrical power the co%ntry needs& As a local reso%rce# wind power has e)en greater potential& 2innesota/s energy commission calc%lates that a wind farm on one of the state/s so%th western ridges co%ld s%pply almost all that state/s electricity& 0orth 3a4ota alone has eno%gh sites s%itable for wind farms to s%pply more than a third of all electricity cons%med in the continental US& The pre)ailing notion that wind power is too costly res%lts largely from early research which foc%sed on t%rbines with h%ge blades that stood h%ndreds of metres tall& These machines were not designed for ease of prod%ction or maintenance# and they were enormo%sly e5pensi)e& 'eca%se the ma+or factors infl%encing the o)erall cost of wind power are the cost of the t%rbine and its s%pporting systems# incl%ding land# as well as operating and maintenance costs# it is hardly s%rprising that it was tho%ght at the time that wind energy co%ld not be s%pplied at a commercially competiti)e price& 2ore recent de)elopments s%ch as those seen on -alifornia wind farms ha)e dramatically changed the economic pict%re for wind energy& These systems# li4e installations in 6awaii and se)eral E%ropean co%ntries# ha)e benefited from the economies of scale that come thro%gh standardised man%fact%ring and p%rchasing& The res%lt has been a dramatic drop in capital costs7 the installed cost of new wind t%rbines stood at 81""" per 4ilowatt in 1 9# down from abo%t 8:""" per 4ilowatt in 1 ("# and contin%es to fall& 3esign impro)ements and more efficient maintenance programs for large n%mbers of t%rbines ha)e red%ced operating costs as well& The cost of electricity deli)ered by wind farm t%rbines has decreased from abo%t 9" cents per 4ilowatt$ho%r to between ! and cents# which is generally less than the cost of electricity from con)entional power stations& Reliability has also impro)ed dramatically& The latest t%rbines r%n more than . per cent of the time# compared with aro%nd ;" per cent in the early 1 ("s& Another misconception is that impro)ed designs are needed to ma4e wind power feasible& ,%t of the n%mero%s wind t%rbine designs proposed or b%ilt by in)entors or de)elopers# the propeller$blade type# which is based on detailed analytical models as well as e5tensi)e e5perimental data# has emerged as predominant among the more than 1"#""" machines now in commercial operation world$wide& Li4e the gas$dri)en t%rbines that power +et aircraft# these are sophisticated pieces of rotating machinery& They are already highly efficient# and there is no reason to belie)e that other config%rations will prod%ce ma+or benefits& Li4e other ways of generating electricity# wind power does not lea)e the en)ironment entirely %nharmed& There are many potential problems# ranging from interference with telecomm%nications to impact on wildlife and nat%ral habitats& '%t these effects m%st be balanced against those associated with other forms of electricity generation& -on)entional power stations impose hidden costs on society# s%ch as the control of air poll%tion# the management of n%clear waste and global warming& As wind power has been ignored in the US o)er the past few years# e5pertise and commercial e5ploitation in the field ha)e shifted to E%rope& The E%ropean Union spends 1" times as m%ch as the US go)ernment on research and de)elopment of wind energy& It estimates that at least 1" per cent of E%rope/s electrical power co%ld be s%pplied by land$based wind$

t%rbines %sing c%rrent technology& Indeed# according to the American Wind Energy Association# an independent organisation based in Washington# 3enmar4# 'ritain# Spain and the 0etherlands will each s%rpass the US in the generating capacity of wind t%rbines installed d%ring the rest of the decade& <lossary fossil f%el7 coal# oil and nat%ral gas 4ilowatt7 1#""" watts= a watt is a %nit of power 4ilowatt$ho%r7 one 4ilowatt for a period of one ho%r megawatt7 one million watts wind farm7 a gro%p of wind t%rbines in one location prod%cing a large amo%nt of electricity wind t%rbine7 a machine which prod%ces energy when the wind t%rns its blades >%estions 1 $ . -omplete the s%mmary below& -hoose yo%r answers from the bo5 below the s%mmary and write them in bo5es 1$. on yo%r answer sheet& 0' There are more words or phrases than yo% will need to fill the gaps& ?o% may %se any word or phrase more than once&

E5ample The fail%re d%ring the late 1 !"s and early 1 ("s of an attempt to establish a widespread wind power ind%stry in the United States res%lted largely from the &&&@1A &&& in oil prices d%ring this period& The ind%stry is now e5periencing a steady &&&@1A&&& d%e to impro)ements in technology and an increased awareness of the potential in the power of wind& The wind t%rbines that are now being made# based in part on the &&&@9A&&& of wide$ ranging research in E%rope# are easier to man%fact%re and maintain than their predecessors& This has led wind$t%rbine ma4ers to be able to standardise and th%s minimise &&&@:A&&& & There has been growing &&&@.A&&& of the importance of wind power as an energy so%rce& criticism s%ccess design costs prod%ction costs fail%re stability operating costs fall growth recognition scepticism decisions effects decline res%lts >%estions ; $ 1" Loo4 at the following list of iss%es @>%estions ;$1"A and implications @A$-A& 2atch each iss%e with one implication& Write the appropriate letters A$- in bo5es ;$1" on yo%r answer sheet& E5ample Answer The c%rrent price of one wind$generated 4ilowatt&&& A

;& The recent installation of systems ta4ing ad)antage of economies of scale &&&

!& The potential of meeting one fifth of c%rrent US energy re*%irements by wind power &&& (& The le)el of acceptance of c%rrent wind t%rbine technology &&& & A comparison of costs between con)entional and wind power so%rces &&& 1"& The )iew of wind power in the E%ropean Union &&&

I2PLI-ATI,0S A pro)ides e)idence against claims that electricity prod%ced from wind power is relati)ely e5pensi)e& ' s%pports claims that wind power is an important so%rce of energy& - opposes the )iew that wind power technology re*%ires f%rther de)elopment