Wind power is one of the most effective ways to get energy. It is a kind of renewable energy. There is always wind on Earth, and we won't use it up.
How does wind power work? The wind turbines have rotor blades, and they spin around a horizontal hub. This hub has a gearbox and a generator. When the wind hits the blades, it makes them spin. This spinning energy creates electricity in the generator, which is then transported out along transmission lines to homes and businesses nearby.
Wind turbines are used to produce energy all around the world. It is important for the wind turbines to have a good aerodynamic design. This would allow them to best utilise the wind and generate electricity. Small wind turbines are used for battery charging for auxiliary power. Larger wind turbines can power a household, and unused power can be sold to the electricity supplier. Wind farms, which contain arrays of large turbines, can power many homes at once.
Some places will build wind farms out in the ocean. These kinds of wind farms are called offshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms have the potential to generate a lot of electricity. This is due to being exposed to fast and powerful winds that are not available on land. The rotor blades made for offshore wind farms also last longer than onshore ones. However, offshore wind turbines are more difficult to maintain. Maintenance to these wind farms could involve helicopters and other marine vessels.
The London Array was the world's largest offshore wind farm until 2018. It has 175 wind turbines. These turbines can make enough electricity for 500,000 homes!
Onshore wind farms are wind farms built on land. They are commonly built in rural areas. These wind farms are less expensive to build than offshore wind farms. But it can be difficult to find suitable land to put these onshore wind turbines. This is especially true with places that have a large population and land is scarce.
What are the downsides of wind power? As always, there are some downsides to using wind power. Scientists have to be very careful about where to place the wind towers because they can be disruptive and dangerous for birds. In particular, we need to make sure that wind farms don't get in the way of birds' migration patterns. Depending on where the wind towers are placed, the wind can be unpredictable and inconsistent.
There are also many people who believe that wind towers are loud and look obtrusive in the scenery. But wind towers are always placed far away from residential areas. From that distance, wind towers are only about as loud as a refrigerator in your kitchen.
Why should we use wind power? Depending on the size and type of wind turbine, it can create between 250 watts and 7 MW of energy. That means, on average the output of one industrial wind tower can power up to 300 homes! Imagine how much electricity that is from just one wind tower.
Most importantly, wind power does not use fossil fuels. It is a renewable form of energy, because wind will not run out. In some places, like Spain, wind power is the source of up to 45% of the country's energy! About 80 different countries in the world already use wind turbines to provide some or all of the energy for their cities.
The market for wind power has quadrupled in the last decade. Many different countries offer incentives for wind projects. What do you think about wind power?