Editor’s note: Today’s letters to the editor are from Southwest Junior High students learning about persuasive writing.

To the editor:

Wind energy is a form of energy that is unlimited and overall clean. According to www.fplenergy.com, the U.S. alone produces 11,600 megawatts of wind energy a year. And it saves the environment from pollution. FPL Energy states that they saved 9 million tons of carbon dioxide; more than 20,000 tons of sulfur dioxide; and more than 13,000 tons of nitrogen oxide from going into the atmosphere by producing wind energy instead of coal or natural gas.

Wind energy is also cheap, its price dropping 80 percent since 1988. The cost has dramatically dropped because of huge advances in technology. Some people believe that wind energy will go up to 6 percent of the U.S. energy consumption. That’s the same percentage of electricity produced by hydroelectric dams today, and enough power to light 25 million homes.

A wind turbine has blades that are 150 to 250 feet long and a main shaft that is 20 stories tall. One turbine alone can power up to 300 homes. Wind energy is produced in 30 different states, including Kansas. I believe that wind energy is the future of energy and that if we build more wind farms, we will be able to produce the clean energy we need.

Brandon Cooper, Southwest Junior High