Wind generated power

Written By Live Naturally
Dated: November 25, 2006

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With the inevitable exhaustion of fossil fuels the search for renewable sources of safe energy becomes ever more important and urgent.

Man has used wind power for thousands of years, whether it be for the grinding of grain, pumping water or turning the gears to cut wood so it seems an obvious conclusion to use this free source of power to generate energy in the form of electricity.

Generating electricity from wind is a fairly easy process using wind turbines similar in design to a traditional windmill. As technology has advanced so has the design of the wind turbine changed to the more efficient 3-bladed design that is becoming a more popular sight on our landscape. This leap in technology has also lead to wind turbines being able to generate considerably more electricity with a 100 times increase in performance over a 25 year period.

As the wind speed increases through about 8 miles per hour, most wind turbines start producing electricity, at about 30 miles per hour they are running at maximum efficiency and as a safety precaution shut down to prevent damage above 50 miles per hour. The wind passing over the blades forces them to turn which in turn converts the rotational energy through a gearbox into electricity. This power is transformed through a transformer to enter the national grid at the correct voltage.

One of the debates on wind turbines is on the siting of them and that they cause an eyesore on the landscape. However, this becomes less of an issue when the wind turbines are built offshore. The benefits of offsore wind farms are that larger turbines can be used and in greater density. The wind over the sea is also generally more stable and stronger than over the land with its associated drag.

Wind turbines average a working life of approximately 20 to 25 years. At the end of that period the turbine can be replaced with the old turbine being sold for scrap to recuperate some value.