How Wind Energy Works
Like most things on our planet the creation of wind is inextricably linked to the sun. The sun heats the earth, the heating occurs at different rates depending on the type of material absorbing the sun's energy, and the resultant temperature differences create wind. Warm air rises and then cooler air moves in to fill the void, causing wind.
Wind energy is therefore really solar energy in a different form. Not unlike stored carbon in, say, coal or oil, wind energy is the stored potential for energy in the air movement itself. In the natural world all kinds of life forms take advantage of the wind and use it to survive. In human terms, wind energy has been harnessed for thousands of years by many civilizations.
One of the earliest uses of wind energy was to grind grain into flour. A large turbine driven by the wind would in turn drive a millstone that ground the hard grain into powder. Another common use -- still used in many rural locations -- was to use wind to pump water. Again, a large wind turbine is used to drive a mechanical pump, thus raising deeper water to the surface. The common wind mill as seen on farms is used for this purpose, usually to supply water to livestock.
For homeowners wind power solutions currently come in two varieties: purchased and self-generated. Wind farms are becoming more commonplace now, and the electricity generated by them is sold on the market often in the form of a
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What would your reaction be if your neighbor told you she was going to build a wind turbine? Pretty impressed? Or would you be against the idea? The truth is that it is not difficult to build wind turbines and many homeowners
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The more recent use of wind energy, and the one that is gaining much ground these days, is in converting wind to electricity. This is a very obvious use, since electricity is traditionally created by driving a turbine which then generates the electricity. Wind can be a very efficient source of electrical energy, particularly in places where the airstream is consistent. In that way wind energy is most comparable to hydroelectric systems, since the flow can be steady and predictable.
Wind energy is a big contender in the future of sustainable energy for our planet. Unfortunately the technology for small, residential wind turbines is still far behind where it could be. However, that situation is changing, and many homeowners are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to creating home made wind turbines.