We explain that what are the examples of wind energy? The wind energy is contained in the wind, which is moving air. It is one of the alternative energies, that is, they replace fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. The wind is an inexhaustible energy source , because it is always present on the planet, in places where there is constant pressure differences to displace the air.
Wind farms
Wind energy can be collected in wind farms , which are facilities in which the kinetic energy of the wind is harnessed to generate electrical energy. These wind farms are made up of a set of tall pole wind turbines with movable blades that rotate with the force of the wind.
The power of a wind turbine depends mainly on three factors:
- Wind speed
- The area covered by the blades
- A coefficient of each wind turbine
There are different models of wind turbines, but those that are used to produce electrical energy have a horizontal axis and have three blades, because they are the ones that provide the most performance.
Parts of a wind turbine
A wind turbine, which looks like a gigantic fan, has several parts that, together, collect the wind energy and transform it into electricity for general use. These parts are:
- Rotor
- The gondola
- Tower
- The anemometer
- Main axis
- Secondary axis
- Mechanical brake
- Weather vane
- Alternator
- The multiplier
- The turning mechanism
- The cables
The rotor is made up of several blades joined in a hub, so that when the wind hits the blades, the assembly rotates. It is the element that converts the energy of the wind into mechanical energy. The rotors that work best and have the highest performance are those with three blades, known as three blades.
The gondola is the part that is supported on top of the tower . It contains the multiplier , which has the function of conditioning the rotational speed of the rotor to the speed of interest in the alternator , which in turn transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.
The tower , which supports the nacelle and whose function is to keep the rotor elevated to take better advantage of the wind.
The anemometer is a device that measures the speed of the wind.
The main shaft works by directly holding the blades, and the secondary shaft goes behind the multiplier and the mechanical brake.
The mechanical brake is used to stop the generator when it needs to be repaired.
The wind vane is an external accessory of the wind turbine that goes on top and indicates the direction of the wind.
The alternator is the generator that transforms the rotational movement of the multiplier into electricity.
The multiplier is a gearbox that conditions the rotational speed of the rotor (very low, around 20 turns every minute) to the speed that is of interest in the alternator to produce electric current (1500 turns every minute).
The turning mechanism rotates the nacelle horizontally to put the blades facing the wind when it changes direction.
The cables are the metallic filaments through which the electricity produced by the alternator is extracted from the wind turbine.
Apart from all the wind turbines, a transformer is added to which they are all connected, so that the electricity generated is transformed into high voltage for optimal transport through the network.
Examples of wind energy
- Wind turbines are generally located in a wide area surrounded by mountains; in it the force of the air is greater and more wind energy is collected.
- A tornado is a phenomenon in which wind energy is enormous, so it cannot be collected safely; it would start the wind turbines.
- A hurricane is a meteorological phenomenon in which there is too much wind energy and is accompanied by heavy rains.
- Thanks to wind energy, electricity is generated to power the lines of rural communities.
- Wind energy will be one of the main ones in the future, to support part of the energy needs of industrial plants.
- Wind energy is first transformed into mechanical energy by turning the blades of wind turbines.
- Wind energy works in conjunction with solar energy to dry the clothes that we have taken out of the washing machine.
- Wind energy combined with thermal energy helps dry wet clothes in the tumble dryer.
- Wind energy works together with solar energy to dehydrate fruits and seeds.
- Wind energy, by meeting the ultraviolet rays that participate in sunlight, helps a water disinfection process.
