Wind is the affect of air in motion. Wind is caused when the sun shines and heats up the earth’s surface unevenly. Because the earth’s environment is made of different materials such as land and water, as well as the things that make up these surfaces like wood, metal, and glass, they absorb the sun’s heat many different rates.
During the day the land obviously heats faster than in the evening, because the sun is out. The water also heats up, but not as fast. Water also cools slower then land so at night the wind reverses course. When the heat rises, the cool air comes in to fill in where the heat is not, and this is when the wind is created.
Today as we look for new ways to power the earth, it is a natural thing to look at wind power. It has been used for many years to power simple machines of the past. Wind is another type of solar energy, which makes it a renewable energy source. In years past we used windmills, the wind machines of today are called turbines.
Just like the windmills, turbines also use blades to capture the wind and turn it into energy. If there is no wind, then the turbines will not turn, this means that you must have a back up source of energy. Turbines are more sophisticated than windmills and they can use even the slightest breeze to turn the blades.
Turbines today can use a horizontal or vertical axis, though most are made with a horizontal axis. They also come in many different sizes depending on what they are meant to supply energy for. If it is for a home or small office the turbines will be about 20 feet or more and can put out about 1000 kilowatts. The larger ones can put out as much as 5 megawatts, and these are used for commercial purposes. You might see wind farms which are made up of the larger turbines, and these supply a grid which can power a whole community.
The blades on turbines typically are about 200 feet across, but can be as wide as a football field. These blades are made much like an airplane propeller, and can be made of fiberglass, or a lightweight metal or plastic. The towers or bases have to be wide and tall in order to efficiently harness the wind. This is a great power source for the world of today.
One major drawback of electric wind power is that the windmills used to generate power are massive and make a lot of noise. It can be used in remote places of the countryside as space and higher terrain is needed for it. Due to this reason it has a limited scope of use and not practical to install in densely populated areas.
Thinking about how to make a wind turbine for your home? It actually isn’t as hard as you think. You can buy all the stuff from local shops and use soem tools that you probably already own. http://howtomakeawindturbine.com
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