The Power of Wind

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Recommended: Introduction to a wind turbine essay

Introduction:
People think of windmills as large propellers that are in the sky and spin to produce energy, but they are a lot more than that. The machines we think of as windmills are actually called wind turbines. As you look at a wind turbine you would notice that they are perfectly crafted pieces of metal that would not work properly if not engineered as perfectly as they are today. According to reegle (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency online) a Wind turbine is:
Wind Turbine, Noun: A rotary engine that extracts energy from the flow of wind. The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft with blades attached. Wind energy acts on the blades, or the blades react to wind, so that they rotate and impart energy to the rotor. Early wind turbine examples are windmills. (reegle)
One of the most important parts of a wind turbine is the blades. The blades are the part of the wind turbine that catches the air. Blade size is very important because the longer blades are the more drag they have and drag slows down the blades making them produce less electricity. Larger blades also have more lift. The perfect blades have a balance of lift and drag that makes it produce the maximum amount of power (KidWind). Wind passing over the blades will pass faster over the top then under the bottom. This makes a low-pressure zone above the blades. This pressure difference causes force, which is called aerodynamic lift. The best-designed blades are able to interact with the wind. Most blades are hard and stiff they need to be able to hold up to strong winds and multiple rotations. One of the major causes of failure to blades is called light ring, which is when the blade unmounts from the hub. This makes the blade ...

... middle of paper ...

.... As you look at a wind turbine you notice that it is what charges your phone and your IPod. It is what lets you watch television. Even though wind energy is still only less than ten percent of the world’s energy source it is one of the best ways to get energy.

Works Cited

Bartly, J. (n.d.). Wind energy definition. Retrieved from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/energy/energy-dictionary/wind-energy-definition
Baioni, V. (n.d.). Wind power plants. Retrieved from http://www05.abb.com/global/scot/scot209.nsf/veritydisplay/92faf0c1913f5651c1257937002f88e8/$file/1sdc007112g0201.pdf

Kidwind. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/education/pdfs/wind_basicpvcwindturbine.pdf

Kaplan, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34746.pdf

Kidwind. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://learn.kidwind.org/files/manuals/ADVANCED_BLADE_DESIGN_MANUAL.pdf

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