Why should we use wind power to generate electricity for the Electric Vehicle project? Well, because we live in the perfect place for wind generation.

North Haven is a tiny island off the coast of Maine. It is surrounded by water so there is nothing stopping the wind from hitting the island full force. Small changes in wind speed mean larger changes in wind power because of the way the wind interacts with the surrounding environment. The island receives as much wind as the Western Mountains of Maine and there is a constant sea breeze. Given the enviromental nature of this project it seems appropriate to utilize the renewable natural resources that are available.

Wind generation of power has been used for thousands of years all over the world, and for many reasons. In ancient times, wind propelled boats were used to travel up the Nile. Windmills have been used to move water from lakes to nearby towns. Currently wind generation is being viewed as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Wind generation is going to be a large part of our EV project because weare trying to make an environmentally friendly way of transporting our students from place to place on a small island. We do not want to have to plug our car into an outlet because that just moves the pollution from here to a coal burning power plant somewhere else.

During the winter months we want to be able to use our car, but there is less sun light and our solar panels won't charge as efficiently. If we have a wind generation system we can convert the wind energy into electricity to store in our batteries, so we will never be caught in a situation where there is not enough electricity to use the vehicle.

•  Wind resource rating map
• Wind resource relative area chart

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