July 8th, 2009 The Wind Turbine and the Wind Farms
Wind farms are found across the globe. What exactly is a ‘wind farm’? Well, wind farms are large area of land, generally located outside of major cities in the vast plains, atop mountain ranges or hills, along the coast lines, and some are even located out to sea. On this farms are large amounts of wind turbines, set in rows and capturing enough energy to light entire cities. A wind turbine now days, has as its prototype, the simple windmills of the Netherlands. Simple idea really, the blades on the turbines turn when the wind blows. The turbine consists of the blades, a system of gears that begin to operate as the blades turn, and the energy is sent by the turning of the gears to a generator which stores and utilizes that energy.
Smaller turbines, and singular ones can be used. The farms are built in areas that are known to consistently be hit with windy conditions. That is one of the considerations of the wind generated electricity is that in most areas, wind is unpredictable and for the energy to be cost effective and reliable the wind must constantly blow. Some residents in areas that are scheduled to have these farms constructed have protested those plans, as some say that the large number of turbines are not pleasant to look at. However, when the general population becomes more aware of just how much this free form of energy could save them each month, their minds will most likely consider it all differently.
The alternative is to build more sites off shore, and while it is more expensive to construct these sites, they generally produce more energy as the wind out to sea blows constantly. A few concerns surround the off shore farms, as they may interfere with the shipping lanes, and the placement of the sites must be carefully considered as the possible damage to marine life and aquatic birds is not an option. What is a fact though, is that just one turbine produces enough power to light the one thousand homes over the course of a year. The possibilities are just overwhelming as the countries of the world move towards a greener more environmentally friendly way of living on the planet, and protecting it at the same time.
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