The ability to turn wind power into electricity is an example of human ingenuity at it’s finest. We take wind– a bi-product of the sun’s uneven heating of the surface of the earth; a phenomena that can’t be felt, touched, tasted, or bottled– and turn it into something that’s useful to humanity. Using wind energy electricity is about the closest humanity has come to creating “something” from “nothing.”
So how is wind energy turned into electricity? Through windmills.
A “windmill” is any machine that uses moving air to perform work. A windmill’s blades are designed so the movement of the wind causes them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft, and the turning blades cause the drive shaft to turn, as well. Historically, windmills have been used to grind grain, but the turning of the drive shaft also creates electricity, which can then be collected with wires. When a windmill is used to generate electricity like this, it’s called a “wind turbine generator.”
The use of wind energy electricity for powering residential homes has gained tremendous popularity in recent years for two primary reasons:
(1.) The cost of purchasing electricity from traditional providers is constantly rising, making alternative choices very appealing, and
(2.) Wind power is a renewable resource and to use it is an environmentally responsible choice. A home that’s powered entirely by wind energy electricity could have every electric appliance running all day and all night and have very little environmental impact on the earth.
The primary reason that wind energy electricity isn’t commonplace is that the price is prohibitive. According to the American Wind Energy association, the average home uses about 780 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. Meeting this demand would require a wind turbine system with a capacity rating of between 5 and 15 kilowatts, with each kilowatt costing $3,000 to $5,000. Thus, a wind turbine system capable of powering the average house would cost between $15,000 and $75,000.
AUTOPOST by BEDEWY VISIT GAHZLY
