Home Improvement

The free energy of the wind can be converted into kinetic energy. It can then be used in one of two ways. If used directly, the kinetic energy is called a windmill. If converted to electrical power, it is called a wind generator or turbine. Direct wind energy can run a power saw or pump water. It can do a wide variety of things when used indirectly as electricity.

Sailors on the sea have been harnessing the power of the wind for over two-thousand years. Grain has been ground by this power. Water has been pumped using wind energy. The advantage of wind power is its ability to provide that power without relying on running water or fossil fuels. Water has been pumped and drained from lowlands and brought into arid regions for livestock to drink. Generators have been powered by the wind to provide electricity on a small to larger scale.

Wind machines have been used as long ago as 200 B. C. In Persia (now Iran). In modern history (1888), Charles F. Brush built an automatically operated wind turbine. There were seventy-two wind-driven electric generators by 1908. They were built in various kilowatt capacities. Windmills were being produced in America by the time World War Two started. One-hundred thousand were produced each year for farms where they were used commonly for pumping water.

The definition of the term wind power is the conversion of wind energy into usable energy. Some of the terminology connected to power is somewhat familiar. Intermittency is frequency of availability. Variability refers to changes in output beyond control. Dispatchability means the ability the source has to increase and decrease on an as-needed basis. The most power that can be produced by a power source stated in megawatts is called nameplate capacity. The expected output of a generator annually is called the load factor.

The statistically reliable output from any source is the capacity credit. Reliability is the total future output expected from a group of wind farms and solar power stations as a unit. Viewed as a unit, it allows the end users to be sure they will have continuous power because all the sources cannot temporarily fail at one time.

The wind turbines have been perfected in the last twenty years. Harnessing the free energy of the wind, and converting it into electricity allows man to run home appliances, provide lighting and heat. It can be used by manufacturers to power factories. Non-renewable sources of energy can be conserved. This easily renewable source of energy produces no toxic emissions as fossil fuels do.

The design of small turbines are popular due to improvements made recently. They are now a practical way to bring renewable energy to remote locations. This power can be used to run farms as well as homes. Cost-prohibitive maintenance is no longer a problem since parts are cheaper and easier to buy now.

Now the wind power can be combined with solar power grid systems to bring electricity to homes, farms and small towns. It can provide electricity for industry as well. Some examples are to direct air-traffic, weather stations, telecommunications and navigation aids. Those machines powered by wind energy for commercial use, have to be sturdier and lower-maintenance than the ones made to use on a smaller scale. The new designs require less upkeep and are longer-lasting to provide power on such a large scale as to serve industry.