Turbine Wind Farm
Wind power is the harnessing and conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines.
Wind energy has been used for thousands of years – to propel sailing ships or converted into mechanical energy to pump water or grind grain. Windmills are used in many countries (such as the Netherlands) to capture the wind’s energy. The moving sails of the windmill are connected to wheels that turn to operate machinery. This machinery is used “to grind” the wheat and other grains into flour or to pump the water from place to place to help irrigate the land. The term windmill comes from “to mill” – meaning “to grind”.
The energy from turning windmills can also be used to drive turbines which generate electricity. Wind energy is an excellent choice for generating electricity because it is a renewable resource and does not create pollution and only causes minimal if any damage to the environment.
Wind turbines feature a number of components, including blades, a shaft, a generator and a tower. The blades look like propellers, except that instead of creating wind, they catch the wind.
The shaft is connected to the blades, and it rotates as the blades turn with the wind. The shaft runs to the generator. The generator transforms the rotations of the shaft mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Large scale wind farms are typically connected to the local electric power transmission network, with smaller turbines being used to provide electricity to isolated locations.
