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Archive for March, 2011

For many years, wind turbines at sea have been producing significant quantities of electricity for a large range of countries across the globe. With the construction of on-shore wind turbines on the rise, should we be looking into the construction of more off-shore wind farms? Coastal wind energy is usually much more reliable and of a greater force than in land wind energy.

This coastal energy is far greater due to the open spaces the wind is able to use. The sea is flat, until you come to land, this gives wind energy a large open, clear path, where it can gain energy before hitting a land mass. Have you ever noticed how hurricanes lose their energy once they reach land mass? This is an extreme example, but it helps to illustrate the effect that a land mass has on the force of the wind. The wind we receive as a result of our weather patterns is one of the most powerful natural energy sources on our planet.

Off-shore wind turbines usually generate more energy than on-shore turbines, however, this isn’t true in every scenario. Wind turbines constructed on land can generate just as much energy as off-shore wind turbines. The deciding factor on a turbines efficiency lies in the placement of the turbine.

Coastal wind turbines are the preferred option, yet the costs involved in constructing a turbine out at sea are far greater than building a turbine on land. There are also many dangers associated with off-shore construction. Wind turbine developments on land are quite commonly met with anger from local residents. This is primarily down to the “NIMBY” factor, which for those of you who don’t know, is a term for the phrase “not in my backyard”. Most people love the idea of receiving their energy from a natural energy source, yet how many of those people would like a wind turbine overlooking their home?

There are many ways in which transforming wind into energy can be beneficial, as wind is used for a variety of purposes and activities. We shall now explore a range of wind energy factors, including how wind can be fun and how to use this wind to your own advantage. Wind energy has existed since life on our planet began, it is currently used in recreation and industry. It is believe that the Egyptians were the first to successfully harness wind and turn it into energy, and achieved this through the use of sails. This is still used today, however mainly within the yacht industry. Wind surfing is a form of this, and many other recreational activities have taken advantage of the wind as a great natural energy source.

In the past, farmers founded the great technique of using the wind to grind their corn into flour. These are the old traditional windmills and they were able to serve a great purpose in supporting generations before us. The latest industrial use of the wind has been seen in the increasing introduction of wind turbines over the last 30 years or so. How to transform wind energy into a form of electrical power is a fairly simple process and works on the same principle as most power production techniques. In order to generate wind power you need to be able to capture energy from the force of the wind.

This is done usually through the use of a wind turbine with a propeller blade type design.

The propeller design is common in horizontal wind turbines, as the less popular design of vertical wind turbines use a different method to capture wind energy. Once you have the capability of capturing the winds energy, this harnessed energy can be used to drive turbines, attached to a generator, which enables the generator to produce power. So there is a basic understanding of how to turn wind energy into power.