DETAIL ON HOW WIND TURBINES SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
You’ve probably seen wind turbines in pictures and wondered what they were used for. Well, search no further. This article will tell you how they work and how they serve to ransom the environment from destruction.
The Sun is a very interesting celestial body. While it has its obvious responsibilities of heating up the solar system and providing light, it also does some less apparent things. One of those things includes heating up the air unevenly.
This uneven heating of the air causes a pressure difference which, in turn, causes air molecules to move. This movement of air particles is what we call wind and, depending on the difference in pressure, it could produce massive energy.
One of the perks of man’s superior intellect is that he is able to harness everything in nature to meet his needs. This was how he came up with the wind turbine to convert the wind’s kinetic energy to electrical energy which he needed more.
So, where was this idea first developed? Let’s find out.
HOW WERE WIND TURBINES DEVELOPED?
The idea of wind turbines was most likely developed from windmills. These windmills were used in Egypt and even Persia to process grains and draw water.
Further down the line, in 1887, James Blyth, a Scottish professor, invented the first wind turbine that could charge batteries. Since then, various modifications have been made to his work. 134 years later, we have wind turbine fields that generate as much over 650gW of energy.
How do these wind turbines work, though? How do they convert wind energy to electrical energy? Trust me, it isn’t rocket science.
HOW WIND TURBINES WORK
As molecules of air impinging on the blades of the turbine, they lose their kinetic energy to the blades of the turbine. Modern turbines are fitted with rotor shafts and electric generators which serve to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Usually, this electrical energy is stored in batteries. At low wind speed, there is a need to increase the speed of the rotor shaft so as to run the electric generator. Because of this, speed-increasing gearboxes are used.
Alternatively, a generator that can function under low rotational speed can be used. We call such types ‘Direct Drive Turbines”
Turbines may rotate either along the horizontal or vertical axis. For modern power-producing turbines, rotation is along the horizontal axis and is achieved using only three turbine blades.
The wind is an intermittent source of energy. That is, it’s not steady. Because of that, the Wind Power Density (WPD) of any location is usually a major consideration before selecting it as a wind farm.
WPD refers to the amount of wind energy that can be gotten from a location. Since the WPD of most locations isn’t much, it limits the amount of energy that wind turbines can release and usually makes it necessary for the turbine to be combined with other sources of energy to produce sufficient power.
WIND TURBINES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
As I pointed out in earlier articles, one of the major considerations of world leaders for every energy source is its carbon footprint. This is followed by its rate of pollutant emission.
Standard power plants release no small amount of pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and others which affect our environment by making the air not conducive for flora and fauna. These pollutants also mess our water supply up by causing precipitation of acid rain.
Wind turbines, on the other hand, produce no emission, has the least water consumption demands, and have the most favorable social impact. It’s sustainable. We will always have wind as long as the sun remains.
Then there is its economic cost. While the installation costs are quite high, its benefits offset the need to worry. After installation, one is entitled to free energy for years since air is its fuel and is a free natural resource.
Studies show that over 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide per year can be eliminated by using a 1mW turbine instead of 1mW of energy from fossil fuels.
It’s great to know that windmills aren’t just toys for kids to play with. They represent the future of energy. As mankind increases in knowledge, so will his ability to manipulate this source of energy to produce greater levels of input.
- Turns out the future isn’t too far from us anymore.
