Renewables

Wind

Wind turbines capture the wind’s energy with two or three propeller-like blades, which are mounted on a rotor, to generate electricity. The turbines sit high atop towers, taking advantage of the stronger and less turbulent wind at 30 metres (100 feet) or more above ground.

A blade acts much like an aeroplane wing. When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade. The resulting pressure difference between the upwind and downwind sides of the blade causes the rotor to turn. This is called lift. The lift produced by the blade is greater than the wind’s pressure (the drag) against the leading edge of the blade. The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.

Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications, or they can be connected to a power grid or even combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system. Stand-alone turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications. However, homeowners and farmers in windy areas can also use turbines to generate electricity. For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of turbines are usually built close together to form a wind farm. Several electricity providers today use wind farms to supply power to their customers.

The Energy Shop help to source such suppliers in your area. Follow the link to their web page to find out more.