Because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity. Winds at elevations of 30 meters roughly feet or higher are also less turbulent. Determines the design of the turbine. Upwind turbines—like the one shown here—face into the wind while downwind turbines face away.
Most utility-scale land-based wind turbines are upwind turbines. The wind vane measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind. Most turbines have three blades which are made mostly of fiberglass. Turbine blades vary in size, but a typical modern land-based wind turbine has blades of over feet 52 meters. The largest turbine is GE's Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, with blades feet long meters — about the same length as a football field.
The drivetrain on a turbine with a gearbox is comprised of the rotor, main bearing, main shaft, gearbox, and generator. The nacelle sits atop the tower and contains the gearbox, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, and brake.
Some nacelles are larger than a house and for a 1. The yaw drive rotates the nacelle on upwind turbines to keep them facing the wind when wind direction changes. The yaw motors power the yaw drive to make this happen. The pitch system adjusts the angle of the wind turbine's blades with respect to the wind, controlling the rotor speed.
By adjusting the angle of a turbine's blades, the pitch system controls how much energy the blades can extract. The pitch system can also "feather" the blades, adjusting their angle so they do not produce force that would cause the rotor to spin. Feathering the blades slows the turbine's rotor to prevent damage to the machine when wind speeds are too high for safe operation. Part of the turbine's drivetrain, turbine blades fit into the hub that is connected to the turbine's main shaft.
The drivetrain is comprised of the rotor, main bearing, main shaft, gearbox, and generator. The drivetrain converts the low-speed, high-torque rotation of the turbine's rotor blades and hub assembly into electrical energy. Part of the turbine's drivetrain, the low-speed shaft is connected to the rotor and spins between 8—20 rotations per minute.
Part of the turbine's drivetrain, the main bearing supports the rotating low-speed shaft and reduces friction between moving parts so that the forces from the rotor don't damage the shaft.
Part of the turbine's drivetrain, the high-speed shaft connects to the gearbox and drives the generator. The generator is driven by the high-speed shaft. Copper windings turn through a magnetic field in the generator to produce electricity. Some generators are driven by gearboxes shown here and others are direct-drives where the rotor attaches directly to the generator. The controller allows the machine to start at wind speeds of about 7—11 miles per hour mph and shuts off the machine when wind speeds exceed 55—65 mph.
The controller turns off the turbine at higher wind speeds to avoid damage to different parts of the turbine.
Think of the controller as the nervous system of the turbine. Turbine brakes are not like brakes in a car. Explore a Wind Turbine. Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events: The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere Irregularities of the earth's surface The rotation of the earth. Types of Wind Turbines The majority of wind turbines fall into two basic types:.
Horizontal-Axis Turbines. Horizontal-axis wind turbines are what many people picture when thinking of wind turbines. Vertical-Axis Turbines.
Mike vanBavel Applications of Wind Turbines Modern wind turbines can be categorized by where they are installed and how they are connected to the grid:. Land-Based Wind. Land-based wind turbines range in size from kilowatts to as large as several megawatts.
Offshore Wind. Offshore wind turbines tend to be massive, and taller than the Statue of Liberty. These turbines are able to capture powerful ocean winds and generate vast amounts of energy. Distributed Wind. Primus WindPower Learn More. Wind Energy Resources. Energy Generating Clean Electricity from the Wind. Video Url. History of U. Several other wind projects off the U. East Coast are in the planning stages. Twelve European countries had operating offshore wind energy projects as of the end of Wind explained Where wind power is harnessed.
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