How Does Wind Energy Work
Wind power should be taken into consideration as a viable alternative energy source because it works, is plentiful, and is clean.
Wind energy is clearly dependent on the availability of the wind itself which is usually plentiful in most places in the world. Wind generators as we know them, have existed since 1890. In Denmark, wind power was being experimented with 5-25 kilowatt wind electric systems. As technology changed over last decade new innovations came forth changing how we look at wind powered systems.
Environment friendly energy, clean energy and alternative energy many times mean the same things, but not absolutely. Renewable energy resources require substantial up-front money costs, but solar, wind, geothermal and even small hydroelectric technologies achieve considerable reductions from costless fuels, low maintenance prerequisites, and elimination of future fuel price and availability risks.
How does wind energy work in real world settings?
Wind power, often called wind energy, is power calculated by harnessing the kinetic energy of wind and changing it to energy through turbines. Turbines are oftentimes grouped collectively, and are referred to as a wind farm, and bring forth a great deal of power when they are working together in unison. Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone energy generators, or connected to a utility power grid for more powerful energy generation. More often than not, wind turbines are not stand alone installations. In large open areas it is not uncommon to see a couple dozen or even a couple hundred wind turbines working together.
Wind energy is produced by rotating the blades attached to the wheels of wind generators. The principle of operation is quite simple. Wheel blades gradually transfer the acquired energy to the generator. The generator in turn produces electricity that can be used and stored. Typically the wind towers, generating the energy, reach a height of about 6-10 meters (20 feet) and they must be located away from tall buildings or mountains or anything else that can prevent the flow of wind.
At the top of the tower is a wheel with extended rails (or bars). These rails are flat and bent at the same angle. They are bent at the same angle so that when the wind hits the blades, they rotate in the same direction and do not create resistance. Wheel size determines the power output of electricity. The larger the wheel the more energy it produces. This is true up until the point when the wheel becomes too large. When that happens the energy production drops due to the additional weight of the wheel.
Renewable energy can be an important instrument of advancing economic and societal development in various communities, but only if the projects are correctly designed and thoroughly planned with full local input and cooperation. The financial demands are high, and wind turbines need a great deal of space and the right locations, plus the wind turbines can be unsightly to some. These are understandable drawbacks but the long-term rewards are well worth it.
Also needed to be taken into consideration various pluses and minuses of wind energy so that they can be assessed for its feasibility in different areas. The only environmental downsides of your renewable energy source are noise (in some cases with extremely large wind turbines), and threat to birds (if wind turbines are not connected with radar to monitor air activity).
How does wind energy work to help alleviate poverty in developing countries?
In the last decade wind energy was the most common renewable energy source, and the fastest growing renewable energy sector. This trend may well continue in years to come mostly because the rapid development of wind industry throughout China, India, and other developing nations.
One of the most cost-competitive renewable energy sources, and wind turbines are becoming cheaper almost each month. However, in the United States wind power industry is lately somewhat struggling because of fluctuating natural gas prices which are usually pretty low due to the present recession. These low natural gas prices are one of many reasons why the US wind industry had a disappointing year in 2010.
Wind industry currently faces two big stumbling blocks which sometimes somewhat slowdown its further development. These are not enough transmission lines and also the intermittency issue since wind doesn’t blow on a daily, and sometimes consistent, basis. There are many ongoing scientific researches that making the effort develop adequate (cheap and efficient) wind energy storage option that allows you to tackle the intermittency issue.
For all its pluses and minuses, wind energy is still expected to be one of the leading alternative energy resources in the next few decades.