The Pluses And Minuses Of Wind Turbine Power Generators

The Pluses And Minuses Of Wind Turbine Power Generators Image
Converting wind power into electricity is actually the reason for wind turbines. If you picture a plane propeller sitting atop a tall tower, this is exactly what a turbine looks like. Whenever the wind blows the turbine the blades make the rotor rotate and the movement of the rotor causes the generator within the turbine crank out power. Inside the generator are many magnets and lots of copper wire, which generates electricity. This system has been applied for many years in some other types of generators.

Wind turbines, as the name indicates, necessitates wind to function. Wind is much more powerful higher up in the sky, which is why wind turbines are very tall, at approximately 30 meters. The result of the stronger wind at that elevation is that the turbines produce more electricity. Of course it's understandable that without adequate wind, no power will be made. Historical weather information is carefully analyzed to pick sites that will supply sufficient continuous winds for the turbines. One perfect location is in coastal regions because there are generally consistent wind patterns in these locales. While wind speed is the most crucial variable to measure, wind direction may also have an impact on the effectiveness of the installation. A time tested model, adapted from the early wind powered water pumps, uses a tall fin to point the propeller straight into the wind, regardless of the direction it emanates from.

Enough electricity to meet the requirements of an entire household may be produced from a single turbine. When there's no wind, a battery backup assembly is used to fulfill electrical needs. One issue is the number of years required for the installation costs to be recovered in power savings. In areas with continual winds, turbines can easily create energy around the clock. Solar panels can not operate in the dark whereas wind turbines can. Turbines are exceptionally clean to run, eliminating concerns about pollution. The standard sources of hydro, such as nuclear reactors, create incredible pollution that could be reduced by turbines. The energy source is additionally renewable, just like solar energy, since there is always wind blowing. This indicates that turbines will usually be able to produce power if they are located in high wind regions.

Although they have got a lot going for them, there are some negative aspects to consider. Many men and women don't want to be looking at a tall tower with a propeller at the top outside their window. Large installations, with a good deal, or even hundreds grouped together, create visual pollution in coastal areas, as reported by critics. They are also very noisy due to the rotor producing sound as it goes. Another major concern that people have mentioned is that birds and bats (bats especially) have a tendency to fly into them. The spinning rotors disturb the bats' ability to stay away from things with their sonar readings. There are no data on how regularly this happens, nevertheless.

Wind turbines definitely seem to be a excellent source of energy, but needless to say there are disadvantages like with anything. They can play a significant role in our future energy plans if they are applied carefully.

Credit: [Steven Deane]