HOW WIND TURBINES WORK A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO WIND ENERGY

HOW W

IND T

URBINES

WORK

A BRIE

F IN

TRODUCTI

ON TO W

IND E

NERGY

HOW IS WIND CREATED?

• Temperatures vary according to the amount of sun it gets

• Uneven heating of the Earth's atmosphere and surface

• Balance between warm and cool air is constantly changing, creating wind.

WHAT IS WIND POWER?

Wind power is the conversion of kinetic energy in the wind to electrical energy.

The wind turns the blades which are attached to a rotor. The rotor spins and that is mechanical energy.

The shaft turns a generator which creates electricity.

The electricity is then added to the grid.

HOW DOES A GENERATOR WORK?

Needed: Conductor – loop of

wire Magnetic field –

electromagnets Conductor moves

within the magnetic field Conductor rotates

through a magnetic field

Magnets move back and forth through a looped wire

PARTS OF A WIND TURBINE?

Length Width Shape Weight Material Pitch Number Distance from

hub Others?

IMPORTANT BLADE CHARACTERISTICS

REAL BLADE DESIGNS

PAST BLADE DESIGNS

WHAT ARE THE SIZES OF TURBINES?

WHAT SIZE TURBINE GOES WHERE?

WHAT SIZE TURBINE GOES WHERE?

•Oil independence•Locally produced (jobs)•No air pollution (or CO2)•Uses no water•Renewable•Lower costBUT…•Bird and bat issues•Aesthetic issues•Intermittency

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS?