Windmill Generate Electric For Free

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Wind Machine

Like old fashioned windmills, today's wind machines use blades to collect the wind's kinetic energy. Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity.

Wind As an Alternative Energy Source

In the 1970s, oil shortages pushed the development of alternative energy sources. In the 1990s, the push came from a renewed concern for the environment in response to scientific studies indicating potential changes to the global climate if the use of fossil fuels continues to increase. Wind energy is an economical power resource in many areas of the country. Wind is a clean fuel; wind farms produce no air or water pollution because no fuel is burned. Growing concern about emissions from fossil fuel generation, increased government support, and higher costs for fossil fuels (especially natural gas and coal) have helped wind power capacity in the United States grow substantially over the last 10 years.

How Much Can the Wind Provide Power?

A modern wind turbine produces 2 to 3 megawatts of power when operating at full power. This doesn't sound like a great deal compared to a nuclear generating unit which typically produces a constant 500 megawatts. But viewed from another perspective, a 2 megawatt wind turbine produces enough electricity for around 2000 European households, excluding electric heating. If you then consider that this wind-generated electricity produces virtually no carbon emissions and no dangerous waste materials, then wind power starts to look interesting. More attractive still, wind power is beginning to compete economically with traditional sources of electricity on the open market. And finally, while gas, uranium and coal prices are forecast to rise, the wind will remain free.

How Does It Work?

A blade acts much like an airplane wing. When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade. The low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn. This is called lift. The force of the lift is actually much stronger than the wind's force against the front side of the blade, which is called drag. The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.

Construct Your Own Windmill

If you are interested in renewable energy, you should look into purchasing high-tech windmill construction plans. Obviously the types of materials and construction will be vastly different and the overall cost will be significantly higher too.

When constructing a basic windmill, keep in mind that your goal is to maximize the conversion of wind energy into mechanical energy. In order to maximize wind energy, you want a windmill that is tall enough to reach above obstacles and take advantage of wind. In addition, you will require wind blades that will easily catch the flow of the wind and turn the blades with the least possible resistance. Most windmills in use are categorized as horizontal axis windmills, which have blades that spin vertically. The windmills which are sometimes are referred to as turbines, catch the wind energy and convert it to mechanical energy or electricity.

Constructing a windmill electricity generator is important, as mistakes in constructing the generator will lead to poor generation of electricity. You should therefore carefully do the task.

Help the Environment by Clean Electricity

Wind is not a panacea that will replace traditional sources of electricity; it will at best provide around 20% of overall electricity production (unless a practical method of storing large quantities of electricity is developed). However, wind power provides a very useful source of cost-effective, clean electricity in an increasingly energy-hungry world.

Not only will you be helping the environment, but you will also be saving tons of money in the process. There are actually windmill designed for the urban and rural. If you live in a crowded neighborhood, there are windmills that are not noisy and can still save tons of energy.

Reader Feedback

  • Nov 17, 2010 @ 6:49 pm | delete
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  • rmstouffer Oct 16, 2010 @ 12:15 pm | delete
    I have actually built a diy wind turbine in my backyard. I can say that it generates enough power to cut my electric bills in half. Definitely worth it and I have already seen a return on the investment. You don't need to build one so big that it will get you completely off the grid, unless that's what you want to do. Generating your own energy is a great feeling, an if you can do it and have the room, go for it.
  • youngward Oct 12, 2010 @ 7:15 pm | delete
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  • TheGreenerMe Jan 17, 2009 @ 6:47 pm | delete
    Very Information! Welcome to A Million Ways to go Green!

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