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就短期內的未來而言，風能是最具發展前景的再生能源之一。由於技術進步，在適合利用風能的地方，風能的價格已經大幅下降。據美國風能聯盟的報告，自新設裝置以來，全球風能工業在1997年的發電量創下歷史記錄的新高。其成長之速，很可能使風能穩居世界上發展最快速的能源之地位。儘管風能無法一天24時完全發電，因而一個國家的整體用電不能全部依賴它（正如旱災發生時，水力發電也會失去作用一樣），但是在風大的地方，風能能夠提供很大比例的能源利用。
如果風能要成為主要的電力來源，「風力發電農場」就必須發展為那些安裝風力能發電裝置的社區帶來福利。就此而言，丹麥可能是一個最好的例子。丹麥從「底層」開始實施風能專案，社區成為風力發電公司的股東。現在丹麥是世界上利用風能最多的國家。
埃及的一項風力發電專案也處於領先地位，其目標是使埃及成為非洲風力發電量最高的國家。埃及的紅海沿岸是世界上風能潛力最大的地方之一。在有些地區，一年中有95%的時間中，平均風速可達每小時23英哩（歐洲和美國最大的風能農場的平均風速為每小時16英哩）。相較之下，埃及的風速要大43%，可以產生300%的能量。擁有如此好的風力條件的地區，風力也非常便宜：在一個新的發電廠，風車預計以每千瓦小時0.04美元的成本發電，這是德國平均成本的三分之一。埃及政府在Zafarana附近的沙漠撥出30平方英哩，建造風能農場。到2000年底，該農場就可以發電90MW（足夠供15,000人的城鎮用電量；1MW=1百萬瓦特）。埃及的再生能源當局希望，到2005年，風能農場的發電量達到600MW，這相當於該國目前電力需求的3%。
編按：wind farm所指主要有二，一是指在陸上或海面上，架設風車翼設施而生產電力，猶如作物種植生產糧食一般；二是，陸上的風車翼設施大多與農牧地並用，尤其在歐洲與美國等地，在台灣目前也多屬此種利用形式。其規模大小並不一定，依各地需求有所不同。
版權歸屬 國際河網IRN，環境資訊協會（陶俊、李傑 譯，李傑、李瑞玉 審校）
中英對照全文：http://e-info.org.tw/issue/water/2001/is-water-irn01111201.htm |
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Wind power is in the short term one of the most promising renewable energy sources. Technological advances have caused the price of wind power in favourable locations to drop dramatically. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the global wind-energy industry set a record for new installed generating capacity in 1997. The rate of growth appeared likely to maintain wind's position as one of the world's fastest growing energy sources. Although wind power cannot produce power 100 percent of the time and therefore cannot be relied upon for all of a country's power (just as hydropower cannot, due to droughts), it could provide a much greater proportion of energy production in places with good winds.
If wind power is to become a major electricity producer, wind farms must be developed in such a way that they benefit the communities in which they are installed. Denmark is perhaps one of the best examples of this. It began its wind power programme from the 'bottom up', and Danish communities were made shareholders in windfarm co-ops. Denmark now leads the world in its wind power capabilities.
Egypt is in the pilot stage of a programme whose goal is for the nation to become Africa's Number 1 wind-power generator. Egypt's Red Sea coastline is one of the world's best sites for wind power potential. In places, winds average 23 miles per hour for 95 percent of the year (the biggest wind power farms in Europe and the US average 16 mph winds). The 43 percent greater wind speed found in Egypt delivers almost 300 percent as much power. The power from these excellent winds is also cheap: at one new site, windmills are expected to generate power at a cost of 4 cents per kilowatt hour, or one-third the average cost in Germany. Wind farms are being built in a 3a-square-mile area of desert set aside by the government near Zafarana. By the end of the year 2000, the farms should be generating 90 megawatts (enough to power a town of 15,000). Egypt's renewable energy authority hopes the farms will generate 600 megawatts by 2005, which is about three percent of the country's current needs.
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