Nathaniel Philpott II

With the cost of fuel today, there is much talk about alternative energy sources. Wind energy is one such alternative energy source, and the public eye has set on the efficiency of wind farms. The provision of energy from wind is a clean process, and of course wind is an inexhaustible source of power. Wind is brought about by variations in the temperature on the ground, which comes from the heat of the sun, so basically wind power could be said to originate from solar power. Harnessing the wind thus produces electricity.

wind power

There are a number of governments that have embraced the use of wind farms as a means to effectively collect energy from wind. Working like propeller blades but in reverse, the power of the wind is collected by the large blades of numerous wind turbines that have been put up in a suitably windy location. With the collective power of the numerous wind turbines, the farms can produce a considerable amount of energy. The promise of wind farms will become plain when you comprehend how they function. The manner in which wind turbines function is, the propeller turns a shaft whenever the gusts of wind turn the propeller blades. The turning of the shaft starts up a generator from which action electricity is generated. It employs the same principles as hydropower generation, except that wind power rather than flowing water is utilised.

Adequate energy for a town or larger area requires a lot of turbines, as one is barely adequate for a home or modest farm. When the ability of a turbine is increased by having groups of them, like you find on a wind farm, the compounded amount of electric power that can be produced is very big. The electricity produced is enough for running a whole community when you store it on an existing utility grid or in special large-scale battery cells. Today wind turbines are so modernized that they can use wind coming from any direction, even when it is from inconsistent, variable angles.

Increases in efficiency can be achieved by setting up the turbines taller, or by using bigger blades. As there are numerous factors that need to be analyzed, it is difficult to determine the exact efficiency of wind turbines. It's hard to determine common factors on different farms, because besides the size of the turbines being variable, the farms themselves vary so much in terms of the natural terrain and the properties of the wind. Nonetheless, the standard turbine converts approximately 20% of the power in wind to electricity. Wind turbines are at their most effective in wind speeds of from 5 to 20 miles an hour.

In comparison with solar energy, wind power generation, rated 20% efficient, is about 6 percentage points better, but solar doesn't vary as much as wind. Wind technology is advancing, and in comparison with other renewable sources of energy, it is favorable. Amongst alternative energy it has become important, but has not yet found worldwide favour. One of the leading countries in the utilization of wind power is Germany.