Working of wind power systems

Wind is always blowing on the surface of the earth. This makes wind an inexhaustible and clean source of energy generation. Wind can be harnessed by wind turbines to generate wind power. Wind power systems consist of a wind turbine, a tower, wires and connectors and inverters or batteries.

Wind turbines consist of a rotor, a generator and a tail. The rotor has two or three blades that move after gaining kinetic energy from the wind. The rotating blades turn on a generator which converts the wind energy to electrical energy. The tail of wind power systems keeps the turbine facing the wind for capturing the maximum wind energy and generating the maximum amount of electricity possible. Generally, the wind turbines are installed at heights so that a large amount of wind is available at great speed thereby producing massive amounts of electricity.

The towers used in wind power systems are free standing and guyed towers. Guyed towers are the least expensive ones available. They have a simple and inexpensive framework of metal strips supported by guy cables and earth anchors. They are easy to repair and maintain. They are also not affected by weather conditions. Free standing towers or stand alone systems use batteries to store excess wind power generated. A charge controller is also required to prevent the batteries from either over charging or under charging.

Wind power systems are connected to grid connected systems so that electricity produced can be put to several uses at domestic and commercial sites.