WIND ENERGY

WHAT IS WIND ENERGY?

Wind energy is currently the fastest growing form of renewable energy,
and with good reason. Wind energy produces no greenhouse gases, its
abundant, and its nearly cost competitive with fossil fuel energy. And
unlike fossil fuels, wind energy is a domestic form of energy, meaning it is
available almost everywhere.
But what exactly is wind energy? Wind is created by two forces: energy
from the sun, which heats the atmosphere, and the rotation of the Earth,
which sets the atmosphere in motion. Wind energy technology makes use
of enormous wind driven turbine, which harness this atmospheric energy.
As the wind blows, it turns the propeller blades of the wind turbine, and
the spinning propeller blades generate electricity. Surprisingly, wind
power is not a new form of energy. Windmills have been used for
centuries to pump water and for grinding grain. But it is only in the last
few decades that wind energy has been used to generate electricity.
HISTORY OF WIND ENERGY
The wind has played a long and important role in the history of human
civilization. The first known use of wind dates back 5,000 years to Egypt,
where boats used sails to travel from shore to shore. The first true
windmill, a machine with vanes attached to an axis to produce circular
motion, may have been built as early as 2000 B.C. in ancient Babylon. By
the 10th century A.D., windmills with wind-catching surfaces as long as 16
feet and as high as 30 feet were grinding grain in the area now known as
eastern Iran and Afghanistan.
The western world discovered the windmill much later. The earliest
written references to working wind machines date from the 12th century.
These too were used for milling grain. It was not until a few hundred years
later that windmills were modified to pump water and reclaim much of
Holland from the sea.
HOW WIND POWER IS GENERATED

The terms "wind energy" or "wind power" describe the process by
which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity.
Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical
power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as
grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this
mechanical power into electricity to power homes, businesses, schools,
and the like.

Wind turbines, like aircraft propeller blades, turn in the moving air
and power an electric generator that supplies an electric current.
Simply stated, a wind turbine is the opposite of a fan. Instead of using
electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make
electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which
connects to a generator and makes electricity.
Wind Turbine Types
Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups; the horizontal-axis
variety, like the traditional farm windmills used for pumping water, and
the vertical-axis design, like the eggbeater-style Darrieus model,
named after its French inventor. Most large modern wind turbines are
horizontal-axis turbines.
HOW WIND TURBINES WORK?
A wind turbine is made up of two or three propeller-like blades called
the rotor. The rotor is attached to the top of a tall tower. As the wind
blows it spins the rotor. As the rotor spins the energy of the movement of
the propellers gives power to a generator. There are some magnets and a
lot of copper wire inside the generator that make electricity.
Winds are stronger higher up off the ground, so wind turbine towers
are about 30 meters tall to allow the rotor to catch more wind energy. The
turbines are built with a device that turns the rotor so that it always faces
into the wind. Just one wind turbine can generate enough electricity for a
single house, or the electrical energy to pump water, or to power a mill
which grinds grain. The electrical energy can also be stored in batteries.

Wind Farms
Wind farms are places where many
wind turbines are clustered
together. They are built in places
where it is nearly always windy. The
electricity that is generated at a
wind farm is sold to electricity
companies that provide the
electricity to people living in cities
and towns.


This wind farm is located off the shore of Denmark

ADVANTAGE OF WIND TURBINES
They are pollution free.
The energy they generate is renewable. This means that as long
as the winds blow there is power to turn the blades of the
rotor.(Another form of renewable energy comes from the sun.
Using wind energy means that less fossil fuel (coal and oil)
needs to be burned to make electricity. Burning fossil fuel
pollutes the atmosphere and adds greenhouse gases to it. This
pollution is a cause of global warming.
DISADVANTAGE OF WIND TURBINES
Some people don't like the look of the turbines. They say that
they spoil the look of the natural environment.
Wind turbines make some noise.
Turbines kill birds that fly into them. However collisions are
rare and there are reports from Denmark saying that some
falcons had built nests on the top of turbine towers. To protect
birds however, it is important that wind farms be built away
from bird sanctuaries and from the pathways of migratory birds.
(Migratory birds are those that fly from cold places in winter to
warmer parts of the world)