How Does Wind Energy Works

Wind energy alongside solar energy is one form of renewable energy and its supply is abundant in earth. Most people distinguish between wind energy and solar energy. However, this distinction is not necessary because wind that powers wind turbines is itself a form of solar power. It is implicated that wind energy source are from sun. Atmosphere heating by sunlight is the main caused of wind and its movement. Other factors like earth’s surface irregularities in shape and earth rotation also play role in wind formation and also consider as wind energy source.

What causes wind flows?

Sunlight does not shine earth in even manner due to several factors. Around equator area, air absorbs more energy compare to air above poles. This difference causes air behave like fluid which move in currents or flowing. Air, due to its nature, expands when it is warmed and contracts when it is cooled. Warm air is lighter because it is less dense than cool air. This warm air rises, much like a less-dense piece of wood rises to the top of more-dense water. You can see this effect by looking at the hot air above a fire, which seems to shimmer as it expands and moves upward, carrying smoke and ash with it.

Cold air is decreasing in volume and denser than surrounding warm air, so it sinks. This phenomena explains in part why a freezer generally operates more efficiently when it is placed at the bottom of a refrigerator rather than at the top and why the basement is generally colder than the upper levels of a house.

Another factor in wind flowing is Earth’s rotation. Imagine if Earth did not rotate. This will cause air rise would only about 10 kilo- meters to atmosphere in equator. Then it will into the atmosphere and flow toward the North Pole and the South Pole, where it would cool, sink, and return to the equator again

We use wind flow in many purposes in our life, from simple like sailing, flying kite and to the extend to support other activities by using electricity generated by wind. Wind energy electricity or generating electricity from wind, it is a 3 way of energy process transformation. At the beginning, wind turbine transforms kinetic energy in winds flow to mechanical energy. This mechanical energy can be used for activities like grinding grain, pumping water or then passing to generator. Generator then convert mechanical energy into electricity.

Wind Turbine Energy Components

As mentioned above, wind turbine play a decisive role in transforming wind energy to electrical energy. Wind energy turbine contains several major components: rotor blades, shaft, yaw drive motor and generator.

• Rotor blades – The flat sharp-edged act as propeller in wind-energy turbine. Wind turbine blades behave as barriers to the wind. When wind forces blades to move, the energy is then transferred to rotor.
• Shaft – This long handle is connected to the center of rotor. It spins following the rotor movement and direction. In this mechanism, the rotor transfers its mechanical energy to shaft, which then enters electrical generator at the other end.
• Yaw drive and motor - The location is on the side toward which the wind is blowing. Yaw drive will keep rotor facing into wind as its direction changes.
• Generator - Wind power generator is employing electromagnetic induction which create electrical voltage. Electrical voltage can be defined as difference in electrical charge. The main component inside generator are conductor and magnet. The conductor is a coil wire type. If you look inside generator, the shaft connects to an assembly of permanent magnets which surrounds the coil wire. During electromagnetic induction, conductor surrounded by magnets will rotate relative to other. When the rotor spins the shaft, the shaft spins the assembly of magnets, generating voltage in the coil of wire. That voltage drives electrical current (typically alternating current, or AC power) out through power lines for distribution.©