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Wind Power Energy - Renewable Energy For A Warm World
 But what makes it tick and how does it stack up? You don't have to necessarily wait till wind energy comes to you through the grid! You may want to put up your own wind turbine and enjoy clean, cheap electricity. Power your home with solar or wind power, visit the Alternative Energy Store! Read on. What is the state of play in wind energy?In 2005 energy from wind accounted for less than one per cent of global energy, with a total wind generator capacity of less than 56,000 megawatts. This capacity is obviously a minor one currently. But it is also one that is growing fast. Between 1999 and 2005 wind power generation more than quadrupled. Of course today’s energy from wind is mainly about generating electricity rather than power commercial shipping or milling of grain, or pumping water in windmills through mechanical energy.
Essentially it’s solar energy. The energy contained in the movement of air that we call wind is converted into electric energy. The wind is caught by blades that spin as a result. 
A Darrieus wind turbine differs from a propellor type wind turbine in that instead of propellors it has a vertical axis with vertically mounted aerofoils on a rotating vertical shaft.
These movements are then transformed by electrical generators into electrical current.
Perhaps choosing your turbine also depends on what turns you on! Well... really! Come on!
In essence a wind turbine consists of an alternator connected to a propellor. When the wind spins the propellor the magnets in the alternator produce electricity. This is the underlying design principle for all wind turbines although different prevailing wind speeds call for different turbine designs. Of course you need to find a position for your wind turbine that exploits local wind speed.to the maximum. The higher the better normally, so the wind generator is mounted on a tower that is 12 to 30 meters high or more. If you only have your rooftop and you can catch enough wind up there, fine. Make sure you situate it away from buildings and trees that obstruct windflow. The prevailing wind direction should be known in order to maximise the wind power energy you get out of positioning your wind turbine accordingly. Rooftop wind turbines may vibrate into your home’s structure. To overcome that mounts should feature rubber vibration absorbers but low vibration turbines are also available. Wind generators need a regulator to ensure batteries, used for even distribution of power, do not become over charged. Turbines are designed for certain wind speeds and would not be able to cope with extreme speeds. To allow them to be safely used in all wind speeds a braking system can be used to 'dump' excess energy. Where wind turbines are used to feed into the mains circuit you need an inverter to convert DC power to AC.
You can apply wind technology on your own small domestic scale just as it is in large commercial wind farms where 100m high windmills make armies of giants such as even Don Quichote could not have imagined. These wind farms are situated in wide open spaces where wind is abundant at average speeds greater than 20 km/hr, such as on coastal areas, along cliff faces and even in the ocean. As it is not possible to convert any type of energy into another with a 100% efficiency rate, in wind power energy also energy efficiency is 'only' about 10-20% for propellor turbines and 35% for Darrieus turbines. Why then prefer propellor turbines you ask? In the Darrieus type is theoretically just as efficient as the propeller type, but in practice its higher theoretical efficiency is rarely realised because of stresses and limitations inherent in the design. The Darrieus wind power energy turbine operates within a narrower wind speed range and is not self-starting. Propellor turbines are. There are other types of wind turbines but propellor turbines are used everywhere.
It is possible to apply small-scale wind energy systems to single households. This has been done for decades in remote areas where batteries are used to store excess energy. Where connected to the energy grid it is possible to feed excess domestic wind power into it. Other possibilities to adapt to intermittent power from wind are to use a combination of solar and fossil-fuel driven energy generation. The smaller wind turbines have a direct current output and can drive small household appliances. Your very own diy rooftop mounted small wind power energy turbine could be the answer to clean power for your home. Such small wind turbine range upwards from 400 Watt generators for home use.
The advantages of wind energy are as for all renewable energy sources. These include
It should be said that costs of wind energy are continually decreasing through benefits of scale and new technology. New technology may also address energy storage problems. Compared to other people-made hazards, such as cars and pollution, a relatively small number of birds are killed by wind power energy turbines. However, not only birds, but bats are also killed in great numbers in some parts of the USA by wind power energy turbines. Of course domestic, small-scale wind turbines ameliorate many of these concerns about wind power energy. Energy storage is easier and back-up systems could easily involve a mix of solar and fossil fuel-driven energy. Less fossil fuel may then be needed. Wind power energy for a sustainable world?So, will wind energy be able to bring about a sustainable, flourishing world? Not by itself. For a start, cars don't run on wind power energy. And also not if you mean by a sustainable world, one where everyone is included and have opportunities for their development - as I do. Don't just use wind power energy! Do something! Practice living in a sustainable world now by doing something meaningful for someone else. Is there a frail older person living in your street who needs her garden cleaned up? Or just needs a chat every now and then? A truly sustainable world grows from such small beginnings. Keep the wheels turning! See you on a next page.
Want to know more about wind power energy? Go here...
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But mainly propellor turbines are used in wind farms and for small-scale purposes.
