Weaker Hurricanes Research Paper
Project Title: Stronger Turbines, Weaker Hurricanes
Project ID # 970G
Abstract
Currently, fossil fuels plague our planet, destroying the environment and increasing the rate of global warming. This increases the frequency in which hurricanes are created, contributing to the end of numerous lives and billions of dollars in damages. The systems devised to protect cities from these natural disasters are often flawed, costing a large sum of money or requiring an excessive amount of land. However, according to a recent simulation conducted by Stanford University, if
Hurricane Katrina had encountered an array of offshore wind turbines, their peak wind speeds would be reduced by 92 mph and storm surge would be decreased by 79 percent (
Carey 2014
). The
primary …show more content…
By 2030, the U.S. Department of Energy hopes to raise
Project Title: Stronger Turbines, Weaker Hurricanes
Project ID # 970G
this to 20%. Overall, although wind turbines have been around for 7000 years, most of the technology’s progress developed in the past 200 years.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina proved to New Orleans that the current system of protection from hurricanes, comprised of levees and floodwalls, is inadequate. The earthen levees required an increased width to supplement height, therefore occupying space and impacting adjacent structures. As an alternative, I-walls and T-walls were built. Though the T-walls, shaped like an inverted T, were more robust than I-walls, shaped like the letter I, they were significantly more expensive. Despite the expense of the aforementioned floodwalls and their supposed ability to protect cities against hurricanes., Hurricane Katrina cost New Orleans $200 billion in damage (The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans economy). The Category 5 hurricane coupled with a makeshift protection system resulted in one of the most economically costly hurricanes ever to strike the United States.
Future
Project ID # 970G
Abstract
Currently, fossil fuels plague our planet, destroying the environment and increasing the rate of global warming. This increases the frequency in which hurricanes are created, contributing to the end of numerous lives and billions of dollars in damages. The systems devised to protect cities from these natural disasters are often flawed, costing a large sum of money or requiring an excessive amount of land. However, according to a recent simulation conducted by Stanford University, if
Hurricane Katrina had encountered an array of offshore wind turbines, their peak wind speeds would be reduced by 92 mph and storm surge would be decreased by 79 percent (
Carey 2014
). The
primary …show more content…
By 2030, the U.S. Department of Energy hopes to raise
Project Title: Stronger Turbines, Weaker Hurricanes
Project ID # 970G
this to 20%. Overall, although wind turbines have been around for 7000 years, most of the technology’s progress developed in the past 200 years.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina proved to New Orleans that the current system of protection from hurricanes, comprised of levees and floodwalls, is inadequate. The earthen levees required an increased width to supplement height, therefore occupying space and impacting adjacent structures. As an alternative, I-walls and T-walls were built. Though the T-walls, shaped like an inverted T, were more robust than I-walls, shaped like the letter I, they were significantly more expensive. Despite the expense of the aforementioned floodwalls and their supposed ability to protect cities against hurricanes., Hurricane Katrina cost New Orleans $200 billion in damage (The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans economy). The Category 5 hurricane coupled with a makeshift protection system resulted in one of the most economically costly hurricanes ever to strike the United States.
Future