What are wind energy
generators?
Wind
is a rich source of renewable energy. The wind flow
patterns over the earth’s surface are modified by many
factors like irregularities of the earth’s surface,
rotation of the earth and also by the uneven heating of
the atmosphere by the sun. Even the water bodies and the
vegetative covering also contribute generously in the
wind flow patterns. This wind flow produces motion
energy, and it is this motion energy that is harnessed
into mechanical energy or wind energy. Harvesting the
motion energy is done by a wind energy generator like
the wind turbine or a windmill.
Wind
energy generators: how do they
work?
There
are two types of majorly used wind energy generators to
harvest wind into mechanical power namely, wind turbines
and wind mills. Wind turbines use the wind energy to
produce electricity while windmills are deployed to
harvest the wind resource for generating mechanical
power like grinding cereals, pumping water etc. Wind
turbine, however, being the most modernized technique of
generating electricity is being highly utilized these
days. Let us have a closer look at which of the two wind
energy generators is more efficient and economic.
Wind
turbine is based on a very simple principle. A typical
wind turbine consists of two or three blades equipped
with a rotor. The rotor connects to a main shaft. This
shaft again spins a generator which produces
electricity. Mounted on a high tower wind turbines can
capture the most energy. At a height of around thirty
meter (100 feet) from the ground the wind is usually
pretty faster and much less turbulent. Thus a wind
turbine at such a height gives a decent output of
electricity. The output efficiency of a windmill on the
other hand solely depends on the number of its blades.
More blades mean more energy. Another important and
basic factor that regulates the windmill efficiency is
the wind speed of a particular area. The minimum wind
speed needed for a decent output by a windmill is more
than 15 miles per hour (mph). Based on the function
windmills are again classified into various types
namely, wind pumps, tjasker etc. A windmill that is used
for pumping water out of a draining land or well is
known as a wind pump. Wind pumps are largely being
deployed these days for human use and drinking water for
the cattle. Tjasker is another type of drainage windmill
applied for raising water in areas where a low head is
needed. Thus a close comparison of the two wind energy
generator devices resolves the confusion that which one
is more efficient or economic. It all depends on the
wind flow, requirement and usage.
Wind
energy generators: gain or a
pain?
The
underlying and obvious truth about the wind energy
generator as the fastest growing energy source under the
sun is that the resource is free like wind! Yes, apart
from being a free resource wind is also a clean source
of fuel that never pollutes the air like the
conventional power plants. The power plants use fossil
fuels like natural gas and coal that emit greenhouse
gases and acid rains thereby causing depletion of the
atmospheric layers. Thus the advantages of wind energy
are plenty. Wind power is a renewable resource that will
never get exhausted. Also the windmills or wind turbines
are quite economic as they can be built on ranches in
the rural parts which are supposed to be the best wind
sites. The land is still usable by the farmers as the
machine occupies only a small fraction of the farm land.
Also the farmers lease their land for rent to the wind
power plant owners.
Although
highly rewarding, wind power generators pose a few
disadvantages also. The main disfavor of wind energy is
the intermittent supply of wind. Wind flow, the basis of
wind energy is an involuntary phenomenon and does not
always pamper the requirement on time. Also most of the
best wind sites are remotely located from the areas
where electricity is actually required. The usage of
land again by the wind power plants seems to be favoring
the other alternative usages that are apparently being
more valued than electricity production. A lot more has
to be done technologically and thoughtfully so as to
take care of the issues like noise pollution (generated
by the rotor blades), avian mortality (bats and birds
being killed while flying into the rotors) and the
visual impacts posed by the wind power plants.
Improvising technologically and locating a wind site
wisely could help a lot. Despite the disadvantages the
wind power plant is the most happening and conscious
evolutionary step of the modern earth and is definitely
a gain for us.
