Facts About Wind Turbines

There are many Facts about wind turbines, the modern equipment used to capture wind energy, are constantly being refined to meet today's energy demands. There are super large commercial wind turbines used for supplying electricity to commercial and residential areas. There are medium to small wind turbines for use on farms and at homes with large yards. There are portable wind turbines that can be used in remote areas or for camping. And, there are new, micro wind turbines for residential home use.

Until this century, wind was used in many ways, to power water pumps, mills, sailboats and other smaller machines. But now, with the energy crunch and high prices on limited resources like oil, wind power has come of age. Today's turbines are engineered specifically for production of electricity. Another interesting development as wind power demand increases, is the sprouting of wind mill farms, with dozens of large wind mills producing electricity to sell back to power companies.

People are interested in knowing the facts about wind turbines. They know that wind is a free, renewable energy resource. They would love to have free electricity at home. But, like many things, free is not always free. There is a lot of technology involved, and that is not free. Right now, costs are very high and recouping the investment takes a long time. With growing demand, improvements in technology, and better supply, wind turbines will lessen in initial cost. After that, it's a free, wind powered, ride.

Facts about wind turbines include that the top three nations now producing wing power are Germany, Spain, and the United States. Even in the forward looking US, the power produced is only less than a half of one percent of all electricity produced (2005). And, only half the states even have wind farms. Colorado is one of the leaders in renewable resource energy. The wind mill giant company based in Denmark, Vestas, has recently chosen to locate a new manufacturing plant, with about 1350 new jobs, just outside of Denver, in Colorado.

One of the most interesting facts about wind turbines are how this system transforms the kinetic wind energy into mechanical or electrical energy by using rotator blades and an internal drive train and generator. From turning the rotator shaft, energy is transferred to a generator and then stored in batteries for later use, or bumped up via an inverter from DC to AC power for household or commercial use.

The large commercial wind turbines can be 500 feet high, and generate electricity in a 700 kW to 2.5 MW range. The farm or large yard turbine towers run about 30 to 50 feet in height, and can generate about 10 kW power. Rooftop models lack the height needed to get up into the best wind currents, and they need to be smaller all around to fit in with the overall look of any residence. Obviously they would produce far less energy, but enough to power lighting or small appliances.

Spurred by economic demands, and government tax incentives, production of wind power tripled in the US between the years 1998 and 2005. Green product programs, and customer interest has sparked the growth of smaller wind systems for home use. Do it yourselfers can create a wind system kit with relative ease and less expense. Sales of rooftop micro wind generators will show good growth in coming years. Smaller, more aesthetically pleasing systems need to be created for new homes and for refitting older residences to capture wind power for home use. It appears, to quote songwriter Bob Dylan, that the answer is blowing in the wind.