Wind Power Generators

Wind power generators are capable of producing large amounts of energy of up to 3000-watts and more.

This makes them ideal for use in remote areas such as cabins, on camping trips, vacation homes, sail boats and many other applications.

These generators can be used to power small appliances and tools, as well as for charging batteries. You will find wind power generators on many remote farms and electrical facilities which have wind farms that are used in the harnessing of power in areas of high wind.

Wind power generators are an environmentally safe, economically sound and sustainable solution to powering various applications. One main advantage to using wind power generators is that its primary energy source is wind, which produces kinetic energy to produce electricity.

This method of producing electricity does not result in bi-products and therefore does not cause pollution. With wind power generators, you will not need to purchase or maintain any fuel, as all that’s required is some wind to move the wind turbine.

How Wind Turbine Generators Work

Wind turbines behave in a similar way to airplanes running on the spot, which means that they spin around without really going anywhere.

Yet, they work efficiently in capturing the energy that is locked in wind with their giant propellers, and thereafter converting it into electricity.

These propeller blades are designed with a special curved shape to enable them to capture as much wind energy as possible. What happens is that as wind passes, the kinetic energy it contains will make the blades of the turbine spin around - very slowly at first. The slow speed of the spinning propellers is thereafter converted into rotary motion with higher speed by the gears in the gearbox.

This conversion enables the turning of the drive shaft fast enough to enable the powering of the electricity generator.

In order to harvest maximum energy, the turbines in a wind turbine generator need to have enormous rotor blades, and should also be mounted on ultra high towers. These giant propellers typically measure 70m or 230 ft in diameter and have about thirty times the wing span of an eagle.

Their size and girth enable them to multiply the force of the wind like a wheel and axle, such that even a slight breeze is sufficient to turn the outer edges of the propellers.

Pros and Cons of Wind Power Generators

Advantages

Before opting for a wind power generator, it is important to weigh all the pros and cons in order to make your decision. Fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons, with the most important argument for these generators being that wind power is beneficial for environmental conservation.

This is because wind powered generators do not produce by-products such as gases, like other generators do. These gases tend to pollute the environment and pose a health hazard to humans, animals and plants found in a particular area.

Another reason to opt for wind power generators is because the chief energy source - wind, can be harnessed at no cost whatsoever. Your basic costs for this power solution will only involve the price of the generator, which will enable you to save a lot of money that you would have otherwise had to pay for electricity in the long term.

With a wind turbine generator, you also will not have to ever worry about running out of your primary energy source. This is because wind is a renewable source of energy which does not run out like other energy sources.

Disadvantages

The first disadvantage to this type of generator is that wind is a naturally occurring resource whose availability cannot be controlled. For this reason, the quantity of wind and resultant energy produced tends to vary from day to day.

As such, when you are low on wind power, you will be forced to have a backup energy source to use, which usually comes from a fossil fuel based station. The turbines used to power your wind turbine generators also take up a lot of space on the wind farm land, and tend to stand out as they must be positioned on high places.

So, before you settle on wind turbine generators, you might want to check with your neighbors first, as some generators have been known to cause complaints about noise as well as interference with TV reception.

There have also been reports about “wind turbine syndrome” which causes persons living near wind farms to experience chronic headaches and other illnesses resulting from the low-frequency noise and vibrations of the turbines.

Additionally, animals such as birds and bats in areas with wind turbine generators also get killed by the blades while flying.

Research More About Wind Power Generators

Home Wind Generators
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Small Wind Generator Manufacturers - List
Build a Wind Generator