The shift from nonrenewable energy to renewable energy seems on the rise with wind power generation being one of the leading sources of renewable electricity. As a result, vast resources for tapping wind power have tremendously developed, with emphasis on benefitting the environment and the consumer as well (Erlich, et al., 2013). In this regard, significant interest has grown on understanding the mechanisms that constitute the wind power generation system. Therefore, this paper looks into the entire process of harnessing the wind to generate electricity as well as detailing the necessities in each stage of electricity generation by wind turbines.
The nineteenth century saw the first large windmill produced with the sole purpose of generating electricity. The first individual to construct and harness wind energy was a Scottish national named prof. James Byth in 1887. Later, in 1888, Charles F. Brush of Ohio built the second windmill (Nazem, 2012). Over the years, significant developments on their structures have occurred, but the principle of operation remain the same.
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The first stage of wind power generation entails the configuration of the wind turbines. Currently, two ways of configuring the wind turbines exist with the first being vertical axis wind turbines and the second being horizontal axis wind turbines. Nevertheless, they all have similar components, namely the tower, the rotor, the blades and the generator. On the vertical axis wind turbine, the arrangement of the main rotor shaft occurs vertically and rotates around the tower. This arrangement allows the harnessing of the wind from any direction while easing the process of maintenance (Erlich, et al., 2013). On the other hand, the horizontal axis wind turbine has both the rotor shaft and the generator mounted atop the tower. The arrangement has to focus on wind direction to keep the blades rotating.
The first stage involves the tower which houses most of the elements of the wind turbine. The importance of towers includes the selection of proper height and type as determinants of safety and environmental factors. In this regard, three types of towers exist, namely, the fixed towers, the tilt-up towers and the freestanding towers. The crucial aspect of the tower lies in its height since, “the taller the tower, the more power it will be capable of generating” (Nazem, 2012).
The second stage involves the rotor as it drives the entire system. The rotor comprises of manifold blades that coordinate to ensure that once the wind blows, the whole system kicks off. The rotor essentially initiates the blades to start rotating with minimum energy from the wind. Of equal importance is the shape of the blades that have to ensure efficiency and thus generate a maximum amount of wind energy while withstanding all weather scenarios.
The third stage involves the blades. These have a unique design operating in a similar technique as an airplane moving through the sky. In fact, the design of the blades ensures that “the speed of the tip of the blade relative to the speed of the air is given by the tip-speed ratio” (Nazem, 2012). The blades link to the main hub that connects to the main shaft of the turbine. Once the blades rotate, they spin the rotor shaft that occurs in the main hub. The spinning of the rotor shaft then drives the generator through inducting the gear box.
The fourth stage involves the generator. Notably, the generator “is usually mounted in a nacelle at the top of the tower, behind the hub of the turbine motor” (Erlich, et al., 2013). Once the wind turbines rotate, the generator harnesses electricity. The speed of turbine rotation happens in synergy with the generator to ensure a most efficient production of electricity. The generator has the capability to convert the current from alternating current to direct current. Alternatively, the process allows for the installation of an inverter to convert the alternating current to direct current as per the consumers’ needs.
References;
Erlich, I., Shewarega, F., Feltes, C., Koch, F. W., & Fortmann, J. (2013). Offshore wind power generation technologies. Proceedings of the IEEE , 101 (4), 891-905.
Nazem, F. (2012). Wind power energy generation .
