How does wind farms work

This then passes through a transformer, which steps up the voltage so it can be transported on the National Grid or used by a local site. F rom micro-turbines for an individual house right up to enormous, off-shore windfarms, all wind turbines use the same mechanics to generate electricity.

Most onshore wind turbines have a capacity of megawatts MW , which can produce over 6 million kilowatt hours kwh of electricity every year. Up to a certain level, the faster the wind blows, the more electricity is generated. In fact, when the wind speed doubles, up to eight times more electricity is generated. But if the wind is too strong, turbines will shut themselves down to prevent being damaged.

Many people accept that they are beholden to public utility services like gas, water, and power companies that provide them with convenient home amenities.

The good news is that there are energy providers seeking alternatives to burning fossil fuels. This is due in large part to the passage of laws calling for increasing percentages of clean energy over the next several years. However, there are also more and more consumers demanding energy alternatives that do less harm to the planet. Many of us have a fair notion of how and why solar panels work.

How do wind farms work and what can they mean for our future? Here are a few basics. More than half of that capacity comes from just five states: Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, California, and Kansas. The Department of Energy projects that by , that wind capacity will increase to more than gigawatts. How can you get in on this growing wind energy action? More consumers signing up for green energy means those utilities will work to procure more of it.

Wind power actually starts with the Sun. In order for the wind to blow, the Sun first heats up a section of land along with the air above it. That hot air rises since a given volume of hot air is lighter than the same volume of cold air. Towers are usually constructed from tubular steel, although some turbines have lattice towers more like an electricity transmission pylon.

Steel towers are usually painted a light colour, using a kind of non-reflective paint. This helps them blend better into the background. The nacelle is the large housing at the top of the tower. It contains the generator and other important components such as the gearbox and control equipment.