Windis created by 1-2% of the Sun's energy absorbed by Earth heating the air and creating convection currents in the atmosphere, making the warm air rise, then condense. Wind power harnesses this natural, renewable source by utilising it to power a generator. The electrical generator itself is connected to the blades (called a rotor) through a gearbox which increases the rotational speed by about 50 times so it can generate grid-level output levels. The amount of power available through wind power is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. The gearbox increases the available power by the square of the radius, so substantial power can be generated in high wind areas.
The difficult part is designing the actual fan blades to be as efficient and as durable as possible. Most designs are like the windmills pictured, however instead of using the 'drag' principal used in traditional windmills, modern wind power generators work on the 'lift' principal, enhancing efficiency from 40-67%. Another problem is durability, as the structures are usually quite big so are subject to large forces.
Environmental Impact
Wind generation is a very environmentally sound mode of electricity production. It only requires a piece of land in a high wind area which are often mostly uninhabited plains and the actual material to build the generators. Efficiency, however is not nearly as great as some other ways of generating power. A wind turbine typically produces 80 times the energy used to build, operate and dismantle it in its operating lifetime.
Benefits
- Little Environmental Impact
- Renewable Source
- Inexpensive to Build
- No Waste or Pollution
Disadvantages