Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: history of wind turbines, horizontal axis wind turbine, vertical axis wind turbine
Wind Power Report: U.S. 2011
The answer, could perhaps, be blowing in the wind. Well, at least the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) may think so, as they released today their annual report on wind industry growth in the US for year 2011. A good year for wind, indeed! The U.S. wind industry installed 6,816 MW of capacity, 30% higher than 2010, which brings the new grand total to 46,916 MW. The wind industry has created, over the past five years, around 500 new manufacturing facilities, which accounted for 75,000 Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: USA wind power capacity, wind energy association
World’s Most Powerful Offshore Wind Turbine
The first ever 6 MW offshore wind turbine was installed 17 miles off the Belgian coast in the North Sea at depth levels ranging from 39 ft-89ft. This massive wind turbine inaugurates phase two, the second of three phases, of the Thornton Bank Wind Farm project. The wind turbine has a rated capacity output of 6.15 MW, a rotor diameter of 416 ft, and a hub height of 280 - 312 ft (hub height does not include the extra height of the turbine blades). The first phase of the Thornton Bank Wind Farm Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: offshore wind, Thornton Bank Wind Farm, Wind Farm
The Evolution of Wind Turbines
1st century AD Heron of Alexandria is credited with the invention of the windmill. He harnessed the power of the wind to power an organ. The windmill blades were attached to an axle that drove a set of pistons up and down to provide power to the organ. // // 9th century AD The Persians built vertical axis windmills that were probably used to pump water or to grind corn. The vertical sails were most likely made out of reeds and wood. The sails were in cased within a set of Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: Darrieus, Heron, post mill, Savonius, tower mill, windmill
Inflatable Wind Turbine
It's called the Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT). It was designed by a group of engineers from Harvard and MIT in Massachusetts who call themselves Altaeros Energies. Their companies main objective is to produce abundant, low-cost, renewable energy, and they are on the right track. The Altaeros airborne wind turbine is a three-blade horizontal axis wind turbine that is in-cased in what looks like a cylindrical blimp with large open air-flow holes on either end of the inflatable device. The Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: wind power, wind speed, wind turbine
Wind Turbines – Smart Paint Technology
An environmentally friendly paint that uses nanotechnology to detect unwanted movement or damage in large mechanical structures could be used as a safety mechanism for broken wind turbines. This smart paint is inexpensive and can simply be sprayed on to a mechanical device, and then attached electrodes are applied to detect any structural changes far enough in advance to prevent any severe structural damage. The paint, which is made out of aligned carbon nanotubes and fly ash is easy to apply Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: horizontal wind turbine, smart paint, wind turbine blades
Do Wind Turbines Kill Birds?
Do Wind Turbines Kill Birds? Yes, they kill birds. If there were no wind turbines in the world, there would be no bird deaths from wind turbines, this is obvious. But, wind turbines do not kill as many birds as most other man-made structures or natural occurences. Take a look at the estimates below of Average Bird Deaths/Year from: Windows: 100 Million - 1 Billion (Yes, a wide range, but A LOT) Electric Power Lines: 150 Million (Give or take 50 Million) House Cats: 100 Million Read More »Obama Approves Offshore Wind
To help increase clean wind energy production in the United States, the Obama administration announced that it would move forward on leasing areas for offshore wind energy projects in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. These large offshore wind farm projects would be constructed in the mid-atlantic, being the first large offshore wind project ever backed by the United States. Many environmentalist believe that these offshore wind projects will be dangerous to the environment, especially Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: obama administration, offshore wind, wind energy
Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker
What is a Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker? A wind turbine shadow flicker is a moving shadow casted by the blades of a wind turbine from the sun. A wind turbine does not cast a shadow flicker during the nighttime or when the blades are not moving. The length and direction of a shadow flicker depends on the location of the sun, wind direction, and the spatial relationship between the wind turbine and the receptor. The effect of a shadow flicker is an alternating change in light intensity. The Read More »Categories: Wind Turbine Tags: living near a wind farm, wind turbine blades, wind turbine disadvantages, wind turbine shadow
