Wind Turbine – What Is a Wind Turbine?

by pt
Wind Turbine – What Is a Wind Turbine?
A wind turbine is also referred to as a windmill or wind generator. Though the terms are used interchangeably, there is a minor difference. The wind turbine is the device that makes use of the wind energy to produce mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then used as is or converted into electrical energy. A windmill uses the mechanical energy as is for pumping out water or for grinding purposes whereas the wind generator is the one that produces electrical energy.
What are the different types of wind turbines?
Wind turbines are classified into two kinds based on their orientation:
• Horizontal axis turbines – The blades in these wind turbines rotate along a horizontal axis.
• Vertical axis turbines – The blades in these turbines rotate along a vertical axis.
The horizontal axis wind turbines are more commonly used. They are more efficient that vertical axis turbines.
What are the advantages of installing a wind turbine?
Let’s look at the major advantages of a wind turbine:
• Power-saving: Since the wind turbines use a free energy, the wind energy, they prove to be a very cost-effective mechanism for generating electricity, thus helping not only save power but also generate power for the world.
• Cost-effective: The only cost involved in installing a wind turbine is the initial cost and the cost of maintenance. The energy comes free and there is no other fuel.
• Environment-friendly: The wind turbines are environment friendly in a way that they do emit harmful gases or affect the environment in any way.
• Uninterrupted power supply: A wind generator helps you become independent of government’s electricity supply. Moreover, you overcome the hurdles of power outages.
What are the factors you should consider for installing a wind turbine?
While installing a wind turbine is extremely beneficial for you and for the rest of the world, you must take care not to implement the solution in an incorrect way. You should take into consideration the following when installing a wind turbine.
Make sure the following two pre-requisites are met:
• The site for installation is at least of one acre area.
• The average wind speed is around 11 miles per hour.
• Make sure the tower and the base are sturdy. It is important to foresee the turbulence in the wind before you invest in the wind turbine.
• Make sure the tower’s height and the distance between the wind generator and the cells are optimum.
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This is the Repower MM92, rated power: 2000kW, rotor diameter: 92.5m, hub height: 100m. These turbines usually shut down at about 25 m/s or 55 mph, this is the maximum operational limit The time span in the video is about 2 hours while the wind speed went up from about 18 m/s to 30 m/s. When the wind was gusting up to 30 m/s the rotor blades were pitched out of the wind.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
| Print article | This entry was posted by mosotech on August 15, 2010 at 7:02 am, and is filed under Wind Energy. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |


about 1 year ago
Question: Are there brakes on them?
about 1 year ago
it takes it forever to stop
about 1 year ago
You can actually see they turn the paddles out of the air flowing.
about 1 year ago
coz if ithe wind speed it fast enought it could spin the the fan blades apart even when it is being forced to slow down!!!
about 1 year ago
ik but why stop completely slow it down to get more power
about 1 year ago
they slow it down because it will go break apart if it spins too fast!
about 1 year ago
As for cut in speed and ramp rate.
Those as well have improved by dramatic rates as well.(relatively)
In the last 20 years on cut in speed alone we have seen improvements of around 20%.
Sure large scale wind farms dont turn is .5mph wind.
But to say there hasen’t been any improvement is a LIE.
Computer aided design, material sciences, better locations(openness of municipalities) have all contributed to a significant improvement in overall efficiency.
You hate how they look I get it.
about 1 year ago
Hey save… I am not going to argue an already decided point.
If wind didn’t make sense than they wouldn’t have installed that 33,000 mw since 1998.
Annual capacity change.
You have done some work…(not enough it would appear)
You will note 20 years ago the best service factors were in the low 20% range.( for the lay person that means the turbines made power 20ish% of the time)
The newest wind facilities clam almost 40%.
I would say that is EXTREMELY significant change in the last 20 years.
about 1 year ago
why stop them slow them down and get more electric
about 1 year ago
Federal production tax credit subsidies alone amount to $23 per mWh.
about 1 year ago
Very compelling facts you have there. I use annual capacity factor change since 1988, capacity credit change, land sprawl (square miles per mWh) reduction, Low Frequency (dB-C) reduction in past twenty years, ramp rate improvements, cut in speed improvements, etc. to arrive at the general conclusion published here for YouTube browsers. What are your facts ???
about 1 year ago
Hello, Ma’am. I do not get my wind energy information from Rush. He does get some from me, however.
Wikipedia is not a scientific resource, and their section on wind energy is really off.
Try Ayn Rand Institute, Keith Lockitch, Geen Energy Fantasy.
about 1 year ago
Installed wind power in 2000 2,500MW
Installed wind power today 30,000+MW
If you had an open mind which ya dont (thanks rush limbbozo) you could find the information to disprove your theory’s.
try wikipedia just look up wind power read the whole thing. Than at least you can start arguing how ugly wind generators are. Which is fine for you to think and about the only argument that holds any water.
For the record I love how they look
google wind power click anything start reading.
about 1 year ago
This is one of the least true statements I have ever read on youtube.
There has been MAJOR advances in wind technology in the last 18 months never mind 20 years.
Seems the less people know the louder the talk. You are a fool.
There has always been a lot of subsidies on energy. Oil and Coal have received 99.3% of those subsidies to date.
The government (just about) gives away land for oil drilling. Wind gen. pay the farmers who’s land they use.
about 1 year ago
Wind turbines haven’t improved substantially in nearly twenty years, so I wouldn’t say they “just came out.” Government subsidies typically are reserved for new technologies, yet the wind energy industry in its current form has been a losing proposition since Enron tried to convince the world otherwise…
about 1 year ago
At last someone that knows how the industry works. Prices will drop once money starts flowing in.
about 1 year ago
CD players cost a few hundred bucks for a cheap one when they first came out.
about 1 year ago
YOU CONTROL CLIMATE CHANGE? LOL!!! You need help with your delusions of grandeur!
It takes 6,000 2mW wind turbines ($24Billion) to produce the same guaranteed capacity as one nuclear energy facility.
about 1 year ago
I did not know there were some pitch controled windmills. But if one can control the pitch of the blades why the turbine has to be put to rest (3:00) when the wind reaches certain speed? Isnt it enough to decrease the pitch of the blades to a point where the propeller can keep spinning in a set and safe velocity?
about 1 year ago
yeah..IT LOOKS LIKE A OCTAPUS!!!! lol
about 1 year ago
Oh I see, just didn’t notice it first. Awesome machine!
about 1 year ago
On a pitch controlled wind turbine the turbine’s electronic controller checks the power output of the turbine several times per second. When the power output becomes too high, it sends an order to the blade pitch mechanism which immediately pitches (turns) the rotor blades slightly out of the wind. Conversely, the blades are turned back into the wind whenever the wind drops again.
The rotor blades thus have to be able to turn around their longitudinal axis (to pitch)
about 1 year ago
Why don’t they spin it away parallel to the wind direction?
about 1 year ago
This is extremely interesting.
about 1 year ago
*****
I like… Thank You.