You ever see those large windmills out on the countryside or on television, then sit there and wonder how they work? The easiest way to explain it is that they have blades which are connected to a shaft. Once the shaft is able to turn the generator, then the power gets produced. Obviously it’s not as easy as it sounds, but we’ll help you understand it a little better.
The wind turbine is just a machine that uses rotation to convert the energy of the wind to a mechanical form of energy. When this type of energy is used directly by a machine to do tasks such as grinding or pumping, this machine is generally thought of as a windmill. But when this mechanical energy is changed to electricity, then this machine is thought of and either a WPU (wind power unit), wind generator, or a WEC (wind energy converter).
One type of turbine is the HAWT which just stands for Horizontal-axis wind turbine. They are composed of the rotor shaft plus a generator which are both located on top of the tower, these are positioned to face into what wind there is. Larger turbines normally utilize a sensor along with what is called a servo motor. These usually contain a gearbox, and this helps the slow-speed rotating blades go faster which is more effective for powering the electric generator.
The turbines actually have to be pointing upwind if they’re going to create a substantial amount of power. However, it’s important to understand that these are extremely durable and they’re built to be safe. In fact, if you’re up-close and personal with one, you’ll notice the blades are built in front of the shaft so when turbulence hits or strong winds, it won’t collapse.
If the HAWT isn’t what you need, one of the VAWTS might be better for you. These are setup in a vertical position and much lower to the ground. While it’s a great benefit if you need to do maintenance or repairs, it hurts you in the long run. These don’t produce nearly as much energy as the HAWTS, but they are more convenient if that’s what you’re looking for when creating wind energy.
Unfortunately it’s extremely difficult to have the VAWTS mounted onto the high towers. So you’ll find these installed around the base of the tower.
This provides you easy access to the mechanical part for maintenance or repair. But the downside is that since the speed of the wind is slower at this lower altitude, there is a lower amount of wind energy available to these turbines. Also because the winds closer to the surface can be more turbulent, these types of turbines can be vibrated more, and therefore get more wear and tear.
In the end you just have to want to do your part for the environment and our world today. Plus, it also helps save you money while cutting down on your energy costs. What better way to do it then with a renewable resource that will never be depleted. It’s the wave of the future and getting back to the basics as best we can.
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