How Does Wind Power Work?
Wind Power is produced by harnessing the kinetic energy in the wind with the use of turbine blades. Once the turbine blades start spinning, it turns on a generator that in turn creates electricity. In simple terms, it is transferring energy from one medium to another.
Wind power is seen as one of the renewable energy sources that can be tapped to decrease the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. At present, it is used across the world, with some countries getting ten percent of their power from it.
Wind turbine is the opposite of the electric fan that you use in your home to produce wind; wind turbine uses wind to generate electricity. A wind turbine is made up of three main components. The first and probably the most visible part of a wind turbine are the rotor blades. These blades act as barriers to the wind. When the wind goes against the blades, the blades would then turn.
The next component is the wind turbine shaft. This part is connected to the center of the rotor. When the wind makes the rotor spin, the shaft spins along with it. The rotor transfers its mechanical, rotational energy to the shaft, which is connected to an electrical generator on the other end.
The electrical generator is the last major component of a wind turbine. A generator uses electromagnetic induction to generate electrical current, which can be used to power electronic devices. A simple generator is made up of a conductor and magnets. A coiled wire is typically used as the conductor. The shaft is connected to magnets that surround the conductor, which is the coiled wire. Once the magnets are turning, they will induce voltage in the coiled wire. This in turn produces the power that can be stored in a battery.
The most common wind turbine used is the horizontal axis, such as the traditional windmills we are all familiar with. There are also vertical axis wind turbines, which look like a paddle wheel placed on its side.
For Wind Power to work, the wind speed must be around ten miles per hour. This would be enough to generate electricity. Wind speed usually increases with height and in areas where there are no obstructions. That is why you'll see them on hilltops or in the middle of a field. Offshore wind farms are becoming popular these days as well.
As you can see, wind power is a renewable energy that is simple to understand. All you need is a wind turbine and the wind to generate your own electricity.
By Grace| 2014-11-10T14:45:35-08:00	February 24th, 2010|Alternative Energy|
About the Author: Grace
Grace is a writer for Living Clean, LLC.
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