Wind energy is the conversion of wind, a renewable resource, into electricity. It requires wind farms with several wind turbines. These farms could be either at high sea or on land. The air around the earth is not evenly distributed, i.e., there are warmer areas where the air rises up and creates low pressure, and in cooler regions, the air descends to create high pressure areas. This difference in pressure makes the air move, creating wind. It is the force of the wind that produces wind energy.

What is a Wind Turbine?

Wind turbines help in transforming the kinetic energy from the air currents into electric power. Wind turbines have rotor blades to propel the air, and the aerodynamic force creates electricity. Wind turbines could be a direct drive turbine where the rotor is connected to the generator or a turbine that includes a gearbox to connect the rotor to the generator through a shaft and gears.

Types of Wind Turbines

• The horizontal axis turbines have three blades that operate upwind and are supported by the electrical generator at the top of a tower.
• Vertical-axis turbines have an eggbeater style and are smaller than the horizontal-axis ones. The vertical-axis turbines are omni-directional.
• Bladeless or vortex wind turbines are only three meters high with a curve-topped cylinder fixed vertically. It oscillates within the wind range, and the electricity is generated from the vibration. They also work best when there is a space crunch in urban areas.

Benefits of Wind Energy

With advanced technology, wind farms are built onshore and offshore to supply electricity to vast areas far from any available power grid. There are also single small wind turbines used for homes, agricultural purposes, and in small industries. For instance:

Electricity: The most popular use of wind energy is in generating electricity. The wind turbine effectively harnesses the energy. With the help of the rotor and generator, it converts the energy to electricity to power either single dwellings or larger residential and commercial areas.

Transportation: Saving on fuel costs is a big incentive to use wind energy. Fishing trawlers and cargo ships that go on long journeys can save as much as 30% on fuel usage and reduce their carbon footprint.

Sports: Many sports activities use wind energy effectively, including windsurfing, sailing, kite surfing, land sailing, etc.

Agriculture: While the use of wind energy is not new in food production, it was more through windmills. With the newer wind turbines, windmills have become unnecessary as electricity and motors have made food production much less labor-intensive and cost-effective.

Pumping water: Wind energy is helpful for pumping water through a wind pump and helps in irrigation.

The Bottom Line

Wind energy can be used in myriad ways, from sporting activities to increasing food production without also increasing expenses. More importantly, wind energy can minimize our dependence on fossil fuels towards sustainability. After all, wind power has been used for centuries via windmills. It is only the new models and technology used in harnessing the endless supply of wind power that makes the difference.