How Do Wind Turbines Work?

How Do Wind Turbines Work?

A wind turbine is a very effective way to produce electricity and is said to be the best way to produce wind energy. It works on a simple principle which makes it more efficient than many others. It has 2-3 propeller blades around a rotor which is connected to the main shaft that spins that generator to produce electricity.

A modern turbine produces up to 70-85% of the electricity but this product depends upon the wind speed. If we talk about the overall offshore production then it is maximum about 24% and 41%offshore, it is known as the capacity factor of a wind turbine. Here in this article, we will discuss the best wind turbine and some important aspects related to this.

In this guide we have,

  • Wind turbine and its functionality
  • Types of wind turbine
  • How does it work?

Wind turbine and its functionality

The wind is a form of solar energy which works on three components,

  • Rotation of earth
  • The sun heats the atmosphere irregularly
  • Earth surface being unethical

As the wind hits a turbine, the blades absorb and rotate the wind ‘s film energy, rendering it a mechanical force. The rotation turns the inner shaft connected to a transmission mechanism, which increases the rotating speed by a factor of 100. It spins an energy generator. The blades of the wind turbine start spinning when hit by air and by air that doesn’t mean strong wind because most of the time the blades start rotating at a wind speed of 3-5 meters per second which is said to be the gentle breeze. It has a box-like structure at the top of the turbine that turns the shaft into nacelle due to its spinning motion.

Here a generator is built in the nacelle which helps the shaft energy to transform into electrical energy from kinetic energy effectively. After the conversion of energy, it passes through a transformer that helps to step up the voltage so it can easily be transported to the national grid or the local site. All wind turbines are using the same technology to produce electricity, from microturbines for a single house to large offshore wind farms.

Types of wind turbines

There are two basic types of wind turbines which are used to produce electricity.

Vertical wind turbines

There are several different varieties of Vertical axis wind turbines along with the eggbeater style darrieus model which is named over its inventor. This type of wind turbine is omnidirectional in which adjustment is not required in the direction of the wind to function.

Horizontal wind turbine

This type of wind turbine is what most people imagine or picture in their mind in terms of wind turbines. The horizontal wind turbine has three top blades and operates upwind along with a turbine pivoting at the top of the tower so that the blades face towards the wind.

Production of electricity by a wind turbine

Wind turbines in the onshore have the capacity to produce 2-3 megawatts of electricity which produce 6million kilowatts in a year which is enough to cater around 1500 average households very easily. As mentioned earlier the production of energy depends upon the wind speed, the faster the wind the more it will produce the electricity even the production of electricity doubles eight times when the speed of the wind increases.

One of the best parts of wind turbines is that whenever the wind is too strong they shut them off in order to prevent the damage. A modern turbine produces up to 70-85% of the electricity but the production depends upon the wind speed. If we talk about the overall offshore production then it is maximum about 24% and 41%offshore, it is known as the capacity factor of a wind turbine.

CONCLUSION

Having said that, the guide to wind turbines came to an end. We hope that we were able to deliver you the important aspects of turbines and how efficient they are in terms of producing energy.

Janardhan
I am a full-time professional blogger from India. I like reading various tech magazines and several other blogs on the internet.