Wind Turbines, Wind Power Clean and Efficient

Wind is produced from the uneven heating of the atmosphere and irregularities in the earth’s surface. The air movement between these areas is what we refer to as wind. Just as we can use flowing water to turn turbines, we can harness the power of the wind with wind turbines to create electricity.

Wind turbines have been in use since the 1920s. Their earliest use was to provide electricity in remote areas that didn’t have access to a large utility company. Today there are fewer areas that are "off the grid" but wind power can now be used to supplement traditional power sources.

These days we most often see three bladed rotors for residential use. They provide the efficiency we need. Most wind generators have a "high wind protection" a shut down safety or regulating device that protects against damage due to unusual weather circumstances.

Wind Turbines generate a "wild" three phase alternating current (AC power). We call it wild because the voltage and frequency of the current vary with the rotor speed. Usually this AC power is converted to DC to charge batteries (a.k.a. battery bank or storage batteries) and/or inverted to feed the utility grid in the case of (semi)grid-tied systems.

One important thing to remember when you are experimenting with wind power is that you should not let your generator run "open circuited". They should be connected to "something" or they will run to fast, to noisy and will self destruct. If you can't connect to your inverter or battery bank make sure you use a dump or shunt load.

Wind turbines can be used individually to provide power for a household, or they can be used in arrays to provide electricity on a large scale. These arrays of industrial sized turbines are called "wind farms" and are usually situated in areas that receive consistent strong winds. Coastal areas, hilltops, and mountain passes are common areas for wind farms.

Thanks to advances in wind turbine technology we are now able to use the wind as an affordable alternative to fossil fuel for producing power. New technologies make turbines more efficient and modern production techniques bring the cost of turbines down.

When used as a supplement for residential electricity, wind turbines are connected to the breaker box provided by the power company. The power produced is available for immediate consumption, and if the wind turbine produces more electricity than is needed the excess is fed back into the utility grid for a credit on the homeowners power bill.

For those interested in living "off the grid" wind power can be used in conjunction with other alternative energy sources such as solar power. These two methods of producing electricity complement each other when the sun is strong, the wind may be low, and the wind may be stronger on cloudy days.

Also, since solar power is not produced at night, a wind turbine can provide the electricity at this time.

If possible a combination of a solar electric and a wind electric system is great. We still see a lot of problems of using wind power in urban areas as. Wind Turbines have to be mounted on high poles and are still a bit noisy. Not a real good combination if you want to stay friendly with your neighboors.

Also see:

• Wind Generator Towers
• Brakes or Emergency Shutdown Mechanisms
• Charge Controllers
• Dump Loads
• Battery Banks
• Inverters - DC to AC converters
• AC Breaker Panel

Kilowatt Hour Meter or Kwh, utility meter