Wind Turbine Electricity Primer For The Inqusitive
Wind power is an exceptionally efficient and cost effective power alternative. The wind is an awesome force, and it can put out a lot of raw power to be converted into energy that we can use in our everyday lives. Wind turbine electricity is one of most popular power generators in use today. There are wind farms located in many locations throughout the United States.
The wind turbine electricity is generated obviously by the wind. Wind is a type of solar power. This is how it works, as the sun heats surfaces at differing rates, hot air rises up and cooler air will rush in to fill the gap. Thus the rushing that is produced is the wind. If a wind turbine is positioned in the right area it will catch the wind.
Blades are one of the most important pieces of the equation. Today turbines use blades that are horizontal, and there are usually only three blades. The metal cannot handle more than that as it is too much stress. The blades are made of a lightweight sturdy plastic or fiberglass, they are concave, and somewhat off center for a better angle for catching the wind and spinning the blades efficiently.
The blades connect to a double rotor assembly. The blade rotor connects to the blades and spins as they catch wind. The blade rotor connects to a magnet rotor through a pulley assembly which is on larger turbines or at times directly on the smaller turbines often used for homes.
The magnet rotor is not used to turn anything it spins about a magnetic alternator which in turn creates a magnetic field. When the magnetic field goes over the wires of the alternator, an electrical charge is produced. The electrical charge that is produced is carried into a regulator that converts the natural electricity into DC power for home use.
This is just a crash course in wind turbine technology. It is more involved than some might think. It is more complicated than the average windmill and has greater possiblities for mainstream use. People have used the power of wind for energy use for many years, but it has evolved with new technology.
These days it may sound more sophisticated, but the premise is basically the same. There is a bit more math involved and more sophisticated components used to make it capture the wind to make electricity. The turbines do not resemble the old windmills of the past, but they do work more efficiently
