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Wind turbines

A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy; a process known as wind power. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or pumping water, the device is called a windmill or wind pump. Developed for over a millennium, today's wind turbines are manufactured in a range of vertical and horizontal axis types. The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging or auxiliary power on sailing boats; while large grid-connected arrays of turbines are becoming an increasingly large source of commercial electric power.

Contributors in Wind turbines

Wind turbines

transformer

Energy; Wind turbines

At the base of the tower there is a transformer that alters the voltage of the electricity generated so that it can be fed into the local electricity network.

wind direction

Energy; Wind turbines

Some turbines are “upwind” turbines, so-called because they operate facing into the wind. Other turbines are designed to run “downwind”, facing away from the wind.

wind vane

Energy; Wind turbines

Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind.

nacelle

Energy; Wind turbines

The rotor attaches to the nacelle, which sits atop the tower and includes the gear box, low and high-speed shafts, generator, controller, and brake. A cover protects the components inside the ...

generator

Energy; Wind turbines

Usually an off-the-shelf induction generator that produces 50-cycle AC electricity.

gear box

Energy; Wind turbines

Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1200 to 1500 rpm, the rotational speed required by ...

low-speed shaft

Energy; Wind turbines

The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute.

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