How does a Wind Energy Farm Work?

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 Wind energy farms are areas where a group of large wind turbines is installed to harvest wind power. These turbines resemble really tall windmills and are often found in open land areas to get an uninterrupted supply of wind to move the propeller-like blades.  

Wind farms do not require any fuel to run the turbines; rather it is considered the cleanest source of energy. The power of wind is used to move the blades of the turbine around a rotor, which then spins the generator attached to the turbine to ultimately create electricity. While energy generated from wind is a much cleaner process compared to the energy created from fossil fuel, it has still not been adapted to its full potential.  


How do wind turbines work? 


Wind energy is generated using a simple principle where instead of electricity being used to generate wind, the reverse happens, the power of wind is used to generate electricity. In a manner of speaking, wind energy is a form of solar energy. The wind is created by the irregular heat generated by the sun in the atmosphere, the contortion on the earth’s surface, and the earth rotating.  

The wind turbine uses the aerodynamic force generated from the rotor blade and converts it into electricity. The impact from the wind causes the blades to both lift and drag, thus making the rotor spin. A generator is connected to the rotor via a series of gears that converts the aerodynamic force and generator rotation to create electricity.


What are the types of wind turbines? 


Broadly, there are two types of wind turbines- horizontal-axis turbines and vertical-axis turbines.  

The horizontal-axis wind turbine is the most commonly found design. It has three blades and works upwind. The turbine turns on the top of the tower so that the blades can face the direction of the wind.  

The vertical-axis wind turbine resembles an egg-beater. Unlike the horizontal-axis turbines, they do not have to be adjusted to face the wind to operate.  


Where are the wind turbines installed? 


Wind turbines can be categorized based on their geographical installation and their grid connection.  

Onshore/ Land-based installation is when wind turbines are set up on land and can vary in size. They are cost-effective and are grouped as a wind farm.  

Offshore installation is in the middle of a waterbody, and these turbines are massive. Since the wind is stronger in the sea, these turbines generate the most amount of electricity.  

Distributed wind is when a wind turbine of any size is installed near a place that shall use the energy produced.    


How much energy can a wind turbine create? 


Many factors affect the wind turbines capacity to create electricity. The most important aspect is the location of where the wind farm is established. A wind turbine produces energy when the speed of the wind is at least 6-9 miles per hour. If the speed of wind exceeds 55 mph, the operations have to be shut down as it may lead to damages. On average, an onshore wind turbine generates about 6 million kWh of electricity yearly. An offshore wind turbine can generate almost double the electricity in comparison to an onshore wind turbine.  

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