| Homebuilt Wind Turbine Explained |
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How Wind Power Works
Wind has since long back in history been utilized by humans to make use of its power in many ways. The first known applied method was the use of sails when traveling at sea with boats, although the process has changed to a more sophisticated one the basic idea is still the same.
The process of converting wind into, for the most part electricity is accomplished by a wind electric system. As one of the cleanest and most endurable ways of generating energy, it is a very important alternative to fossil fuels, especially important in our days, when facing climate change due to global warming. Wind energy is also one of the most abundant and cost effective energy resource we have, that does not contribute to global warming or environment destruction.
Despite all the advantages, it produces less than 1% of the electricity in the world. Some countries make extensive use of wind power generators comparing to others, e.g. it accounts for 23% of electricity use in Denmark. That is pretty impressive compared to approximately 1% in the U.S. Globally, production more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2005. Wind power generators produced 58,982 megawatts worldwide in 2005. The wind energy market is maturing and the price of electricity generated more competive, which should result is more power plants in the Future Of Wind Power.
The majority of electricity generated, is done by converting the rotation of Wind Turbine blades into electrical current. The conversion process takes place in an electrical generator. Renewable energy power systems is used both in large and small scale wind farms, e.g. single turbines providing electricity for a single home or a smaller area. Wind energy is renewable(inexhaustible), abundant, widely distributed and reduces the greenhouse effect if used to replace electricity produced by fossil fuel derivative.
Onshore wind power plants are usually located in hilly or mountainous areas whereas offshore wind electric systems are often located 10 kilometers or more from land. Near-shore installations falls somewhat between the two earlier described, usually within 3 kilometers from the shoreline when installed onshore and nearer than 10 kilometers when offshore.
The speculative potential of wind energy is far greater than the current global energy consumption. Although the theoretically supply of energy wind can bring is huge, other factors will determine if it's the most viable alternative, such as cost compared to other energy sources. One of the leading wind energy developing countrys at the moment is China, with their vast wind power potential, they have some really big plans for the future.