Welcome to the Wind Farm
When we flip on the lights in our homes, the electrical current that makes them shine might have been generated in a plant a hundred miles away.
Most of our power in the United States comes from fossil fuels, which are taken from the ground. These include natural gas, coal and petroleum. We also get some energy from nuclear power plants.
Power companies also use renewable energy for producing electricity. Renewables are sources that don’t get used up eventually, like fossil fuels. They include wind and solar energy and hydropower, or energy from water.
Wind farms
Have you noticed wind farms along highways, or even out at sea? The first wind farms, or areas with large numbers of wind turbines, were installed in California in the early 1980s. A turbine is an engine that turns.
When the wind blows at the right speed, the turbines begin to turn. Turbines are usually very tall because winds are stronger higher up.
How do they work?
Wind turbines have:
• towers topped with blades and a part that holds the equipment, the nacelle (NUH-SELL). The blades might be from 20 to 100 feet long.
• The anemometer (an-uh-mom-uh-ter) tells how fast the wind is blowing.
• The blades begin to turn when wind speeds reach about 10 mph. Most turbines have three blades.
• The brake stops the motor in the event of an emergency.
• The gear box transfers energy from the blades to the generator.
• The generator produces the electricity.
• Wind vanes tell what direction the wind is coming from.
Most turbines are owned by windpower companies that make money by selling electricity.
Small wind turbines are sometimes operated by landowners, small businesses or communities.