wind energy basics

What is wind energy?

In reality, wind energy is a converted form of solar energy. The sun's radiation heats different parts of the earth at different rates - most notably during the day and night, but also when different surfaces (for example, water and land) absorb or reflect heat at different rates. This, in turn, causes portions of the atmosphere to warm differently. Hot air rises, reducing the atmospheric pressure at the earth's surface, and cooler air is drawn in to replace it. The result is wind. Air has mass, and when it is in motion, it contains the energy of that motion ("kinetic energy"). Some portion of that energy can be converted into other forms of mechanical force or electricity that we can use to perform work.

What is a wind turbine and how does it work?

A wind energy system transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be harnessed for practical use. Wind electric turbines generate electricity for homes and businesses and for sale to utilities.

Turbine subsystems include:

• a rotor, or blades, which converts the wind's energy into rotational shaft energy

• a nacelle (enclosure) containing a drive train, usually including a gearbox* and a generator

• a tower to support the rotor and drive train

• electronic equipment such as controls, electrical cables, ground-support equipment, and interconnection equipment

* Some turbines do not require a gearbox.

How big is a wind turbine?

Utility scale wind turbines for land-based wind farms come in various sizes, with rotor diameters ranging from about 50 meters (164 feet) to about 120 meters (390 feet), and with towers of roughly the same size. A 90-meter (295 feet) turbine that Wind Capital Group might use at this time, with a 90-meter (295 feet) tower, would have a total height from the tower base to the tip of the blade of approximately 135 meters (442 feet). Small wind turbines intended for residential or small business use are much smaller. Most have rotor diameters of 8 meters (26 feet) or less and would be mounted on towers of 40 meters (131 feet) in height or less. The electricity generated by a utility scale wind turbine is normally collected and fed into utility power lines, where it is mixed with electricity from other power plants and delivered to utility customers. Wind Capital Group typically uses between 1.5- and-2 megawatt (MW) turbines. This picture shows a 90-meter (295 feet) - diameter, wind turbine superimposed on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.9059.6m.

What are wind turbines made of?

The towers are mostly tubular and made of steel. The blades are made of fiberglass reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy.

How much electricity can one wind turbine generate?

The ability to generate electricity is measured in watts. Watts are very small units, so the terms kilowatt (kW, 1,000 watts), megawatt (MW, 1 million watts) and gigawatt (pronounced "jig-a-watt," GW, 1 billion watts) are most commonly used to describe the capacity of generating units like wind turbines or other power plants. Electricity production and consumption are most commonly measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour means one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of electricity produced or consumed for one hour. One 50-watt lightbulb left on for 20 hours consumes one kilowatt-hour of electricity (50 watts x 20 hours = 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour). The output of a wind turbine depends on the turbine¡¯s size and the wind's speed through the rotor. Wind turbines being manufactured now have power ratings ranging from 250 watts to 5 megawatts (MW). Example: A 10-kW wind turbine can generate about 10,000 kWh annually at a site with wind speeds averaging 12 miles per hour, or about enough to power a typical household. A 5-MW turbine can produce more than 15 million kWh in a year - enough to power more than 1,400 households. The average U.S. household consumes about 10,000 kWh of electricity each year. Wind Capital Group typically uses 1.5-MW to 2-MW turbines.

For Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Aeolus' research team members are very experienced and of the top-grade who have cutting edge and powerful research capability. Until now, we have 9 international invention patents. Among them, 4 patents are for the systems of large in-grid wind turbines, 3 patents for product features and 2 patents for methods of wind turbine.

 The VAWT distorts (no wind load)

The VAWT distorts (has wind load)