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Design your own Renewable Energy Systems
Renewable Energy Solutions.... use wind and solar energy to reduce your power bills or completely eliminate them.
Living off the Grid..... newsletter that helps with off grid living, renewable energy, solar panels, and how to build your own homemade wind generator.
Wind Energy Guide....an informative guide to wind power and battery systems.
Teach yourself Solar Power.... build your own solar power system with this easy to follow guide.
Eco-Friendly Fuel Systems
Convert your car to run on water....drive your car using water as fuel while reducing emissions and preventing global warming.
Alternative Fuel Systems.... Learn how to run your car on water, hydrogen fuel systems, make biodiesel, and save money.
Make your own Biodiesel.....run your car on this environmental friendly fuel.
How to Save Money on your Energy Bills
Ultimate Gas Saver Guide....cut your gas spending in half.
Cut your Heating and Electric Bills in Half....homeowners, landlords, and renters looking to save.
Green Business Opportunities
Secrets of Battery Reconditioning....transform totally dead batteries to 100% charge capacity.
Socially Responsible Recycling Business....learn the secrets to recycling cell phones and protect the environment.
Clean Energy Grants from the US Government
Learn about Renewable Energy Grants from the US Government....tutorial for writing grants and getting funds for clean energy programs from the government.
Federal Grant Sources....search for renewable energy grants for your state.
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What is a Wind Turbine?
A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill. If the mechanical energy is then converted to electricity, the machine is called a wind generator, wind turbine, wind power unit or wind energy converter.
The amount of power transferred to a wind turbine is directly proportional to the area swept out by the rotor, to the density of the air, and the cube of the wind speed. As the wind turbine extracts energy from the air flow, the air is slowed down, which causes it to spread out. Albert Betz, a German physicist, determined in 1919, Betz's law, that a wind turbine can extract at most a little over half of the energy that would otherwise flow through the turbine's cross section.
How a Wind Turbine Works
Simply, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. Wind turbines operate on a simple principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the more energy. At 100 feet or higher, they can take advantage of faster and less turbulent wind. Wind turbines can be used to produce electricity for a single home or building, or they can be connected to an electricity grid for widespread distribution.
Inside a Wind Turbine
View an animation on how a wind turbine works at the U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program.
Types of Wind Turbines
Wind turbines can be separated into two types based by the axis in which the turbine rotates. Turbines that rotate around a horizontal axis are more common. Vertical-axis turbines are less frequently used.
Horizontal-axis wind turbines (or HAWT) have the main rotor shaft and electrical generator at the top of a tower, and must be pointed into the wind.
Vertical-axis wind turbines (or VAWT) have the main rotor shaft arranged vertically. Key advantages of this arrangement are that the turbine does not need to be pointed into the wind to be effective.
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