How is wind energy produced?
Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 3:25 am
You can't live on air... or can you? Wind power is one of the cleanest ways to get electricity. We explain how wind is transformed into electricity for your home.
Wind is one of the forces of nature and humans have used it to their advantage since time immemorial. It was the engine used by ships to reach new ports and what made the blades of windmills rotate .
It was not until the 1980s that wind energy gained some relevance as a clean and renewable source of electricity .
In recent decades, wind farms have appeared in landscapes around the world and wind turbines have become a symbol of sustainability and efficiency. Spain, along with Denmark and the Netherlands, is one of the countries with the highest rate of wind generation .
How is wind energy produced?
It is not easy to explain in a few words, but we will try: the force exerted by the wind on the three-helix windmills creates mechanical energy that is transferred to a series of copper wires, where electrical energy is now generated.
More specifically, wind turbines are those that transform wind into energy , by incorporating an electrical generator with its control and grid connection systems.
What is wind?
Although, on second thought, perhaps we have gone too fast and missed a key question: where does the wind come from?
It is so common that we don't even question how it is generated. Greek mythology attributed the control of the winds to the god Aeolus, but science says that its origin is in the effects that the Sun has on our world.
Between 1% and 2% of the solar radiation absorbed by the planet ends up converted into wind. This is because the Earth's crust transfers a greater amount of solar energy to the air, causing it to warm up, become less dense and expand. At the same time, the colder and heavier air - coming from seas, rivers and oceans - moves to occupy the space left by the warm air.
Wind is nothing more than air in motion. Air masses that move from areas of high atmospheric pressure to areas of lower pressure at speeds proportional to the pressure differences between the two areas (the greater the difference, the stronger the wind blows).
Places suitable for using this energy
As a general rule, wind turbines are usually located in areas close to the coast . This is explained by the number of thermal currents generated between the sea and the land. It is also common to install them on continental plains and mountainous areas , where high-speed winds are frequent.
But flying a kite is one thing, and getting energy is quite another indonesia whatsapp mobile number . For the latter we need winds that blow between 10-14 km/h and 90 km/h . If we fall short (or go over) most days, that place is not suitable for a wind farm.
In addition, there are a number of essential requirements for starting up a park:
More than 2,000 hours of wind per year (equivalent to 83 days of non-stop blowing).
It is essential to respect the surrounding fauna by establishing a bird passage between the wind turbines.
The nearest urban centre must be more than 1 km away to avoid noise pollution.
Its installation on non-urbanizable land is prohibited .
It cannot interfere with surrounding electromagnetic signals , as television, radio or telephone lines could be affected.
From heaven to your home
The wind is blowing, the blades of a windmill are spinning at full power... and you have clean, pure electricity. But how does it get to your home?
This process begins with a transformer that increases the electricity more than four times and then sends it via land cables to an electrical substation, where its power is amplified again.
Now all that remains is to send all that energy to your home through the conventional electrical grid.
Wind is one of the forces of nature and humans have used it to their advantage since time immemorial. It was the engine used by ships to reach new ports and what made the blades of windmills rotate .
It was not until the 1980s that wind energy gained some relevance as a clean and renewable source of electricity .
In recent decades, wind farms have appeared in landscapes around the world and wind turbines have become a symbol of sustainability and efficiency. Spain, along with Denmark and the Netherlands, is one of the countries with the highest rate of wind generation .
How is wind energy produced?
It is not easy to explain in a few words, but we will try: the force exerted by the wind on the three-helix windmills creates mechanical energy that is transferred to a series of copper wires, where electrical energy is now generated.
More specifically, wind turbines are those that transform wind into energy , by incorporating an electrical generator with its control and grid connection systems.
What is wind?
Although, on second thought, perhaps we have gone too fast and missed a key question: where does the wind come from?
It is so common that we don't even question how it is generated. Greek mythology attributed the control of the winds to the god Aeolus, but science says that its origin is in the effects that the Sun has on our world.
Between 1% and 2% of the solar radiation absorbed by the planet ends up converted into wind. This is because the Earth's crust transfers a greater amount of solar energy to the air, causing it to warm up, become less dense and expand. At the same time, the colder and heavier air - coming from seas, rivers and oceans - moves to occupy the space left by the warm air.
Wind is nothing more than air in motion. Air masses that move from areas of high atmospheric pressure to areas of lower pressure at speeds proportional to the pressure differences between the two areas (the greater the difference, the stronger the wind blows).
Places suitable for using this energy
As a general rule, wind turbines are usually located in areas close to the coast . This is explained by the number of thermal currents generated between the sea and the land. It is also common to install them on continental plains and mountainous areas , where high-speed winds are frequent.
But flying a kite is one thing, and getting energy is quite another indonesia whatsapp mobile number . For the latter we need winds that blow between 10-14 km/h and 90 km/h . If we fall short (or go over) most days, that place is not suitable for a wind farm.
In addition, there are a number of essential requirements for starting up a park:
More than 2,000 hours of wind per year (equivalent to 83 days of non-stop blowing).
It is essential to respect the surrounding fauna by establishing a bird passage between the wind turbines.
The nearest urban centre must be more than 1 km away to avoid noise pollution.
Its installation on non-urbanizable land is prohibited .
It cannot interfere with surrounding electromagnetic signals , as television, radio or telephone lines could be affected.
From heaven to your home
The wind is blowing, the blades of a windmill are spinning at full power... and you have clean, pure electricity. But how does it get to your home?
This process begins with a transformer that increases the electricity more than four times and then sends it via land cables to an electrical substation, where its power is amplified again.
Now all that remains is to send all that energy to your home through the conventional electrical grid.