A Wind Turbine Operates on Simple Mechanical and Electromagnetic Principles

A wind turbine operates on simple mechanical and electromagnetic principles that have been known to mankind for about 200 years. The mechanical principles have been in use for far longer than the electromagnetic ones. A wind turbine harnesses the same properties that have been used by wind mills and sailing vessels. The primary difference is that instead of using the winds energy to propel a craft or grind flour, a wind turbine uses it to create electricity. The mechanical side of the turbines is fairly simple, but we will start at the beginning. The earth is heated by the sun. this is about as simple a statement as can be made. However, the different parts of the earth are heated at differing rates, creating pressure and temperature differentials. The laws of thermodynamics tell us that the earth will go about seeking an equality of both temperature and pressure. The simplest method to achieve this I by moving the air around. So the high pressure air systems blow into where the low pressure air systems reside, and the low pressure systems move in response. This is colloquially known as wind, the movement of air in our atmosphere. The wind turbine's job is to harness the immense energy inherent in the wind for use by mankind. It does this by rotating a magnet within a conductive coil. This rotation causes the loose electrons within the coil to be set in motion. If there are receptors placed near the coil, they can pick up the excess electrons s they move. This current is the bass of almost every power plant currently in use by mankind. Hydroelectric power plants use the water's momentum to spin the turbine and rotate the magnet. Coal, or nuclear plants both use the heat of their reactions to boil water. The resultant steam is then channeled to spin a turbine and rotate the magnet. In fact, about the only form of power that doesn't implement a turbine is photovoltaic power. In photovoltaic power sunlight directly causes a semiconductor to produce an electrical current, bypassing the turbine phase of most power generation. Despite this fact, solar power has been utilized in a turbine plant. Thermal solar power can… you guessed it! It can boil water to spin a turbine which rotates a magnet within a conductive coil to produce electrical current. If the above scenario strikes you as inefficient, well it is. All plants are limited in efficiency by how much of the energy they produce can actually be converted into electric power. This is because most of the power usage of mankind is electric, thus the need for wind turbines to convert mechanical to electric energy. If you want something truly maddening, think about how an electric stove or furnace translates electric energy back into heat, after two or three conversions ago the energy originally started as heat! Each conversion comes with its share of energy loss, and this loss is one of the best ways to improve our energy usage as a species. Source: hoosacwind.com