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Wind energy is simply an air in motion, the suns rays fall on an object and the object heats up. The object in this discussion can be land or water, with the land heating up faster than water. As the sun heats the surface of the earth or water in our oceans and lakes, the air above these surfaces also heats up and becomes lighter and begins to rise. Adjoining areas where the temperature is cooler on the land and water surface correspondingly also have cooler air masses. As the hot air rises this cool air rushes in to take the place of the hot air create in what we call or breeze.
In a very simple fashion it’s reasonable to say that objects can represent two kinds of energy. One being potential energy which is energy attained it relative to its position. The other is kinetic energy which is energy relative to its speed of movement. Mass can possess one or both types of energy. A moving object for example represents kinetic energy that is stored, in a similar manner, an object perched in a lofty position would represent potential stored energy. Wind even though we cannot see it with our natural eyes represents a form of mass that is moving and because there is stored energy present this represents kinetic energy. When sailing a boat is kinetic energy that we look to provide the necessary thrust to overcome the drag on the boat from the surface of the water.
How Does Wind Energy Work
Take for example a windmill, the stream of moving air that we call wind pushes on the blades of the windmill causing them to rotate. The shape, size and angle of mounting of the blades along with the speed from the wind all working together determine the speed or rpm as well as the rotating direction of the windmill. In this manner distributes a portion of its kinetic energy to the blades of the windmill therefore slowing down due to its loss of energy having been consumed by the windmill. The windmill however has now harnessed some of the kinetic energy from the wind to be used in a different form like pumping water or grinding grain.
There has been significant advancements in the design modern windmills compared to windmills of our forefathers in that day are able to extract energy from the wind in a much more efficient manner. It is not uncommon in this day and age for windmills to boast of blades of one to 200 feet across that can produce large amounts of power or electricity.
Common Locations of Windmills
Windmills in the age that we live in mostly are of the horizontal axis type looking much like huge airplane propellers and are generally mounted on a tall tower. For windmills that produce large amounts of power, tall towers are also required with blades approximately 200 feet across mounted on a tower 250 feet in stature. Smaller capacity wind generators often mount directly on the turbine shaft compared to higher capacity wind generators that utilized gearboxes thereby increasing the rpm of the generator in proportion to the rpm of the windmill producing more electrical energy. High-voltage cables run from the generator down the length of the tower connecting to the power grid thereby making wind energy available for consumer use.
Smaller windmills, most often used with single homes or small business generally run about 100 kW or less in power with large commercial turbines running with larger capacities of 5 MW or more. Commercial wind farms often will group to gather several high power installations providing efficient wind energy connecting to utility or network grids.
Windmills should be located in areas where the average wind speed is not less than 10 mph in order to have a decent level of efficiency. Because of the size of the larger types of windmills with their long blades it is generally recommended for a minimum of one acre to be allocated for the windmill.
Power plants for converting wind energy to electrical energy most often are located at a considerable distance away from cities. Choice of locations would include places where obstructions to the wind would be minimal, seasonal variations moderate with preferences given to higher altitudes which are most often present with high open areas. Smooth rounded hills, wide open plains and shorelines also can be good locations for windmills as the absence of vertical objects do not slow down the velocity of the wind against the blades of the windmill. The funneling effect of gaps in mountains also provide likely locations for efficient windmill operation.
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Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal are used around the world as primary sources of energy. Because they are being used up much faster than they can be renewed, they are known as nonrenewable sources.
Nonrenewable energy sources represent about 90% of the energy used today. These sources are being depleted. Since they are known to have an effect on air quality, causing human and environmental health problems, a greater emphasis is being placed on renewable energy sources as the new frontier for energy. Renewable energy sources consist of solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal and ocean. These sources of energy will never become exhausted and are environmentally friendly, since they do not contribute to greenhouse effects or global warming.
Solar energy is the most readily available renewable energy source. We have used the sun’s energy for billions of years. Prehistoric men magnified its strength to start fires. Today, solar panels absorb energy from the sun to produce heat for cooking and heating, as well as, for electrical needs. This heat absorption is stored for later use and is an indirect conversion of energy. Currently, electric companies are trying to use photovoltaic technologies to convert solar energy directly to electricity.
Hydro energy draws on energy produced by flowing water. Waves are the result of wind interacting with the surface of the sea. This interaction produces a transfer of energy that can be extracted for power generation using turbine generators. Although hydropower is non-polluting, it can do environmental harm. Hydroelectric generating stations can change the flow of the sea and in doing so harm plants and animals.
Wind energy, or kinetic energy, is drawn from the movement of air. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain and irrigation. Today, wind turbines transform energy from wind to mechanical energy or to charge batteries. The wind machines, or wind turbines collect the kinetic energy by capturing the wind in its blades. The blades then turn an electric generator to produce energy. Unfortunately, wind energy collection is unavailable on windless days. Even though it is a clean form of energy it has had a negative effect on the wild bird population and some consider the giant wind turbine machines not attractive looking.
Biomass energy comes from wood, garbage, food crops, manure, grasses and plants, agricultural and forestry waste and residue. It basically comes from refuse. This renewable energy is also not new. It was used over 100 years ago in the form of wood burning, which supplied 90% of energy needs at that time. When biomass is burned, it produces heat or electricity. It can also be converted to methane gas, which is the main ingredient of natural gas. It represents 3% of the energy in the United States. Although biomass can pollute the air and releases a greenhouse gas, it is not as pollutant as fossil fuels.
Geothermal energy is basically the Earth’s heat. It is drawn from hot dry rocks, magma, hot water springs and hot geysers. These are found inside the Earth’s underground. Some are found deep in the earth’s surface and others are found closer to the surface. Today, this type of energy is used to heat water in swimming pools and spas, as well as, to warm buildings like greenhouses. It can also be used to produce electricity through the use of a geothermal power plant. In these plants the hot water travels through turbines, which are connected to a generator.
Ocean Energy is obtained from ocean waves or temperature differences in water. Wave energy is the kinetic energy from the movement of water. Tidal energy entails trapping tidal waves in reservoirs behind dams. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion uses the differences in water temperatures from the surface water to deeper down depths of water as an energy source. In order for this to work there must be a temperature difference of 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
As you can see, there are various renewable energy sources available to us as an alternative to fossil fuels. There are many advantages to them among the most popular being that they will not deplete in supply, meaning they will be around forever. Renewable energy sources are not new. They have been utilized in some way for many years. Unfortunately, low fossil fuel prices have stunted renewable energy’s popularity and growth in the United States. But an increasing awareness of human and environmental concerns, as well as, a need to find non-exhaustible energy sources, will keep it as a mainstay for the future.
my group has to make a wind generator for tech ed and we’re at 192 right now but in order to beat the record we have to get at least 254. any tips to make it go faster?
Make it into a ducted fan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducted_fan
Hi, I've heard that there are wind powered generator that also have solar panels?
The idea is to have enhanced reliability.
Do you know where can I find information about it? Anywhere in the world is fine!
Thank you!
You can build a system that consists of solar panels and a wind powered gererator. In this case you can use whatever windmill you like and whatever solar panels you like.
try:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=solar+panels&y=Search+the+Web&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t400&x=wrt&meta=vl%3Dlang_en%26vl%3Dlang_de
And:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=wind+generator&fr=FP-tab-web-t400&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8
Just wondering if I can take the motor and blades of a house fan and turn it into a wind generator. Is it possible? And what are the steps to doing it?
It wouldn’t really output any real amount of power. I recently built a small scale wind turbine with the schematics from http://www.earth4power.biz and it does the trick nicely. It cost about $200 in parts and I assembled it over the weekend. I get about 80% of the power I need for my house off of this, so this would definitly be a more practical approach.
I have a friend who would like to install a wind generator for electricity, but the local power company will not let him connect to the power grid unless he can show that he has a million dollars insurance. Well, he cannot find any company that offers that type of insurance for any price. He has written to everyone he can think of but still no source of insurance. The reason he wants to connect to the power grid is to use it as his storage system so that he doesn't have to maintain a whole bank of storage batterys. Does anyone know where he can get this type of insurance for a system that will be in the state of Texas?
Call your electric company; the folk you would have had to call anyway to get connected & let them know that you would like a reverse meter so that they can measure how much energy that you are back feeding. There is specific wiring for this that has to be approved through your county anyway & it is a safety feature for people working on the lines after a storm so you don't inadvertantly electrocute a lineman who is trying to restore power around you. They will no doubt have the answers that you need or can advise you on where to look for the insurance. The way that you do a million dollar insurance policy is called an UMBRELLA POLICY on the homeowner's. That isn't hard. It is a property insurance that goes above what the homeowner's insurance carries. The UMBRELLA coverage is a catastrophic event coverage that is called secondary insurance. It isn't even very expensive as it covers after everything else has been exhausted first. Go to yahoo & google Umbrella insurance & then if that doesn't work, look at commercial insurance companies in your area. I know that CNA which is a HUGE insurance company, they write in Texas & may be able to write your friend the policy that he needs. I hope this helps. I used to do underwriting assistance for them & I helped insure folk in Texas in particular.
I am very interested in trying to build my own small wind generator, I seen that you basically need a alternator, blades to build the fan, cabling and a battery. So could you use a car alternator and also how many 12V batterys would you need?
I think that was a little rude, judging by what you posted you seem to be a all around d*ck!
But thanks to the others who replied, you info was very helpful. thanks again.
You may have better success with an alternator with the field coils replaced with permanent magnets and the regulator removed. This will maximize the voltage output and allow you to regulate the voltage at the battery bank. The less electronics and other items to break up the tower the more reliable the system will be.
You should use deep cycle batteries, not automotive starting batteries. The number of batteries will depend upon the voltage your system operates, power capacity of the generator, and size of inverters. Do not go overboard with too many batteries or the generator will never be able to fully charge them.
There is someone near me who is building the blades with PVC pipe. He uses it to turn a permanent magnet DC motor to act as the generator. I'll try to find his web page later.
I'm hoping to get back to my wind generator project shortly. It's been tied up in municipal bylaws and idiotic permits…
Visit my web page for ideas.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html
I'm trying to figure out how I can make a wind generator to power small appliances, like a microwave and stuff like that. How do I build one?
I know of a guide that will help "guide" you in the right direction. Check out http://earth4energy.allproductreviews.info to learn how to build a wind generator and put it to use around your home.
Honestly, you can pickup most of the supplies locally, right at a neighborhood hardware store for less than $200. Think about how much you will cut from your power bill throughout the year, though 
I have a generator and want to take the generator off the motor and hook up to wind power. Can it work?
maybe. See below.
One problem may lie with rotational speed. The gas engine ran at thousands of RPM. The wind turbine will be running much slower, so you need to use gears or pulleys to change the speed to match that of the generator. Now the question is do you have enough power from the wind turbine to drive the gears and the generator?
Depends on the size of the turbine and the size of the generator.
One additional point, the generator, I suspect, is a 60hz 120 volts AC generator. Running it slower than designed for will produce lower voltages and lower frequency output, which will not be able to be used for anything except light bulbs. Even if you get to output the correct voltage and frequency, as soon as the wind changes slightly, the voltage and frequency will change again.
I am looking to find free plans to build a wind generator to charge up my 12 volt batteries at camp..any suggestions ?
I don,t have any plans on paper but, they sell windmills as decorations on landscapes. Look them over and see if they have a shaft with two pillow blocks so you can attach a pully. Then go to an auto junkyard and get an old 12 volt generator. Put a pulley on both the windmill shaft and the generator, ( which of course will already have a pulley on it), then an appropriate belt to connect them both. If you have the knowledge, you can wire in a voltage regulator.
To protect the system from over speeding in excessively high winds, a centrifical throwout clutch could be attached to the end of the windmill shaft.
Hope this helps, and good luck.