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Wind Power

Wind turbines have been around for many years and are used to pump water or generate electricity. Wind power in the form of a wind mills have been used to pump dam water to supply water for farming for many years. However, today the main focus for wind power is to generate power to supply homes with electricity.

These wind turbines range from small generators to huge wind turbines to power thousands of homes. For home owners today the small wind generators mainly supply power into the grid or a battery system. Most houses are not in the path of constant wind unless they are in a very exposed position. Thus small wind turbines in most cases are part of a renewable energy system.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are placed on towers to take advantage of stronger winds that have not been slowed by trees and structures. Wind turbines have been generally designed so that they yield maximum output at wind speeds around 15 metres per second however they start producing from around 5ms. Wind turbines are used for battery charging or for direct input into the grid via an inverter. Wind turbines are highly efficient in capturing renewable energy extracting 30-40 per cent of the wind energy flowing through that area. Wind turbines are rated according to the power output they produce, and range from a few kW up to a few MW and the large turbines are often installed in large wind farms.

Wind Turbines are being installed on farms all over the country, as more and more primary producers discover the power of renewable energy, and impact on their own communities. The most common wind turbines are known as horizontal axis wind turbines because they turn the generator shaft on a horizontal plane. Horizontal axis wind turbines are generally more efficient at converting wind energy into electricity than vertical axis wind turbines, however they are generate more noise. Small vertical axis wind turbines are more suited to urban areas as they are silent. They often have a slower rate of rotation however they can deal with broken or turbulent wind. Wind Turbines are constructed of high quality durable materials and will produce electricity for many years even in the harshest of environments.

Small wind turbines are commonly incorporated as an important generating technology in a hybrid stand-alone power supply system or grid connected system in conjunction with other technologies, such as solar arrays, micro-hydro turbines and diesel gen sets. In Australia, wind turbines are also being installed in remote areas with solar arrays or solar panels, to reduce diesel consumption for local electricity generation. Today, wind turbines are an essential part of reliable renewable energy systems and have the ability into produce power 24/7.