How Do Wind Turbines Work?

In a real-life version of reaping the wind, people have started making use of wind turbines. Wind, the movement of air masses across the surface of the Earth, can be used to generate electricity. There are two key elements to making this system efficient – wind and the turbine.

When air masses are heated at different levels they move into and away from each other, with some of their movement depending on the shape of the Earth’s surface in that area. People have figured out how to use this movement of air to create electrical power that can be used in homes and businesses.

Turbines Work!

Turbines are energy converters. They change the energy of the wind to a mechanical form of energy and eventually into electrical energy. In the past, people commonly used windmills (an early form of wind “turbine”) to pump water or grind their corn. Modern wind turbines have taken on another important task but are more likely to be found in large groups, producing electrical energy for entire communities.
In the most basic terms, a wind turbine has large blades set at a particular angle. These blades are set on a tall pedestal so that they capture straight-line winds above the ground. The blades turn a shaft that drives the generator – the point at which electrical power is produced from the mechanical movement of the blades and shaft.
Reaping the Wind

Wind turbines are literally reaping the wind today. In fact, large groups of turbines placed strategically on higher ground are called wind farms. A collection of turbines is placed by an established electrical company or a new company that provides electrical energy to the power system. In most cases the land where the turbines are placed is acquired through lease agreements with farmers.

There are two types of wind turbines, according to most of the history about this technology. The most common type in the United States (horizontal) looks a lot like the propellers of airplanes and generally has two or three blades. A second type (vertical axis) is commonly called an egg-beater.

As the blades on the horizontal design turn, the “propeller” shaft is connected by gears to another gear on top of the long shaft that drives the generator. The egg-beater style turns the main shaft directly since the blades of the “egg beater” are oriented in the vertical position.

As the need for electricity increases more large wind turbines are being constructed around the world. These units produce hundreds of kilowatts. Some of the larger models produce power in the 2 or 3 megawatt category.

The smaller versions can be used for a single home or farm operation while the larger units are generally part of a power-supply system in a community or rural area. Smaller units might drive a generator for a family or small business. As people search for ways to generate electricity without burning coal, oil or nuclear material, they increasingly turn to a plentiful source – the wind.