How Wind Energy Works: Ask the PRO

Wind energy is directly derived from the wind flows because of bodies of hot air dispersing and colder air rushing in to take their place. In this sense, wind energy is in fact solar energy, because it is the solar radiation that heats the earth’s surface unevenly to give rise to a myriad of wind flows. The situation comes about with the different profile of terrain on the earth which can vary between bodies of water such oceans, the high lands and also the plains and deserts. Wind power has been recognized as a source of energy for hundreds of years: sailing ships have used this since the beginning of history, and windmills have used wind power to grind wheat and also to pump water from wells. Its modern equivalent is of course the wind turbine for power generation.

The relationship between electricity and wind is a simple one. It works in both directions. If you consider the electric fan, it is electricity that is supplied to power the motor to make the fans blades turn. However, with the wind turbine the principal is the exact reverse. The wind makes the wind turbine blades rotate and this then turns a shaft, which powers a generator, which then produces electricity instead of using it.

Within a wind turbine typical components include both an anemometer and a controller. The controller is there to start the wind turbine when wind speed reaches a certain minimum level and also to shut it down if conditions become dangerous, meaning wind speed is too high. To know how to act, the controller uses information from the anemometer, which is a way of measuring the speed of the wind. When the blades turn, they turn a low speed shaft that is then coupled to a high-speed shaft and after that to a generator. The power generation is done in a standard way, to produce a conventional 60-cycle AC current. When designing wind turbines with these features, designers also incorporate brakes that can be used in either mechanical or hydraulic sense to stop the blades and the rotor assembly in case of emergency. The blades and propeller assembly together is known as the rotor. These different components can be assembled in one of two ways. The first is the horizontal-axis way and the second is the vertical-axis way. It is the horizontal-axis way that is the more common way for generating electricity.

Wind turbines also benefit from a gearbox to couple the low speed shaft to the high-speed shaft. This means that at relatively low wind speeds, the generator can still be turned over to produce electricity. Gearboxes are relatively costly components, and the trend is to replace a system with direct drive generators and operate at lower speeds to produce as much, if not more electricity.

Further sophisticated developments include the possibility to change the slant, or the pitch, as it is known, of the blades while they are still turning. This together with the other components of the wind turbine is incorporated into a nacelle, which will then sit on top of the tower, which supports the whole apparatus. The nacelle is often a relatively large unit, which can even allow a helicopter to land upon it. A turbine tower is made of strong and robust material to provide all the necessary support for the nacelle under operating conditions.

The fundamentals of wind electricity generation remain the same throughout the different wind turbine models. It must be remembered that whatever the degree of designer sophistication of wind turbines, you still rely on the presence of wind in sufficient quantities and at the right speed in order to produce electricity. Nevertheless, wind turbines are continually increasing in sophistication and efficiency.

Enjoying the advantages of wind power is best done when you can follow a good manual on the subject. Such a manual can tell you about the right safety procedure and the initial checkpoints to be carried out. Wiring the system and knowing where to get the different components and batteries at reasonable prices are also covered in a good manual.

Jim Martin is a researcher, inventor, home energy consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Earth 4 Electricity- Renewable Energy Made Easy". Jim has written dozens of home energy related articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.

To Learn More about Jim Martin´s Unique Step By Step Solar and Wind Power System Visit: How Wind Energy Works