Wind Generation

Wind generation is becoming a powerful renewable resource for today’s environmentally-conscious society. It uses rotating blades on a tower to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is then transmitted down the tower through wires. This energy resource currently has some challenges in terms of cost and durability but prospects for the future are great. Wind generation requires a specific location; one that is free of obstructions and provides a constant flow of wind as well as no wind energy bursts. Towers must be placed with efficiency, location and height in mind in order to produce the most energy possible at a single tower.

Wind generation is the harvesting of wind power for producing electrical energy. A wind generator is a term that applies to a machine that takes the mechanical energy harvested from the kinetic energy of wind power and converts to electricity. The machine is also called a wind turbine, wind power unit (WPU), wind energy converter (WEC) or aerogenerator.

Wind generation is most practical in areas where the average wind speed is 10mph (16 km/h or 4.5 m/s) or more and the best location would be one in which sudden bursts of wind are rare. A constant flow of wind would also be ideal. Wind generators are specifically designed using aerodynamic modeling to exploit wind energy and every related factor is analyzed including how high the tower should be, the shape of the blades and how many blades to attach. The blades are important because they capture and convert kinetic wind energy to mechanical rotational momentum, which in turn moves the alternator, creating electricity.

The electricity is then transmitted down the tower through wires and to wherever the power is needed. The most efficient wind generation system would theoretically be one that uses only one rotating blade, but then balance is compromised and energy is lost. With each additional blade, efficiency is sacrificed over balanced. Most systems have three blades, which provide sufficient balance while simultaneously retaining reasonable efficiency.

Efficiency will also be hampered if the tower is built near obstructions such as buildings, trees and hills. These obstructions block the path of the wind and slow it down which causes turbulence. That is why the height of the tower is also a factor; if the tower is too short, you will not get enough energy compared to a taller tower. Wind generation is a largely untapped but potent renewable energy source that will likely continue to be developed and improved upon for years to come.

Some states in the U.S. have required that a portion of electricity must be generated by a renewable resource, which opens up a market for this particular type of energy where there wasn’t one before. At the same time, wind generation presents a unique challenge to power companies because the amount of power produced fluctuates, often increasing or decreasing. Wind generation requires a power company to adjust to changes in the load. Though it presents some challenges, including building expenses and longevity concerns, wind generation is a powerful renewable resource.