Wind Power Advantages

Sometimes when the electricity supply goes off unexpectedly due to a power cut it can last for several days. Having no hot water, no cooking facilities, a lack of refrigeration and no form of heating or lighting are just some of the inconveniences incurred. Power grid independence is only one of the many reasons to consider installing wind power preventing you from becoming solely reliant on the electricity companies.

Installing wind power will allow you to be in charge or your own environment. The problems experienced by others through the failure of mainstream electricity supplies will not affect you. In fact, you may not even be aware that anyone else is having difficulties until they contact you asking for your assistance as they are suffering in either hot or freezing conditions!

Another great benefit of wind power is the rebate offered by many states for people who are willing to install wind generators in their homes. In overall terms it is likely to take up to ten years or maybe a little more to see the monetary benefits of having the original installation carried out, but from that time onwards the best part of your power will be free. Just imagine the fact that the running costs of your home or business, or even both, can be reduced to practically nothing. This is because your meter will slow down considerably as your wind power equipment kicks in, thereby reducing your supply from the grid.

This low usage from the grid will be maintained until such a time that the wind is not strong enough to produce power and you will then notice your meter speed up again whilst power is being drawn from the grid supply. In California, if you have wind power within your home, it can in reality replace power back into the grid, so your meter will go backwards; in effect giving you credited power to use in the future. This or similar systems may be introduced in other states in the near future, thus expanding the advantages of wind power more widely.

Although wind power is not perfect, it is a safe and honest cost effective plan for the time ahead of your family and country. Take a minute to sit down and work out just how much you expect your power bills to cost you for the rest of you and your children’s lives. Make a comparison with that of a wind power supply and the benefits will be clear to you. Even if you feel having wind power installed is an expense you just cannot afford at the minute, it may be worth considering taking out a loan as the savings you are likely to make will be more than adequate to repay the amount you have borrowed. Make sure you check out the information available about which schemes are on offer to you.

Wind Farm Efficiency

Wind power is the process by which wind is used to generate power or electricity. The power of the wind is actually a form of solar power – wind change and variability is caused by uneven heating of the ground by the sun. In order to fully use the power that the wind is capable of generating, many countries have set up wind farms. In a wind farm, many different wind turbines (a structure that uses a propeller-like blade to take in the wind's power) are set up in an area. With all the wind turbines working at the same time, it's thought that these farms are a great way to produce large amounts of electricity.

To determine the efficiency of wind farms, you need to know how a wind farm works. The wind turbines collect the power of the wind in two steps: the propeller blades are turned by the gusts of wind, and the propeller then turns a shaft. This turning shaft is connected to a generator. The spinning action cranks the generator, which then produces electricity. The process is exactly like hydropower, but with wind acting as the energy source instead of flowing water. Just one wind turbine set up in an area will not produce very much electricity, and is not very good for powering large areas - these small turbines are usually used to power just one farm or house or occasionally to pump water.

Wind farms, on the other hand, are more powerful because there is a large grouping of the wind turbines in one area, all working in unison to produce electricity. The energy can then be run to whole communities through existing utility grids or stored in battery-like storage cells. Wind turbines can be set up to face the wind or face away from the wind. Modern wind turbines can also turn to catch the wind as it gusts from different angles, a factor which makes them far more efficient than before. The larger the turbine's blades and the taller the turbine's height will increase the efficiency as well.

The exact efficiency of wind farms is nearly impossible to pinpoint. The problem is found in the factors that go into the analysis. The terrain, amount of wind, size of turbines and so on varies from wind farm to farm. There is no constant, which makes it difficult to nail down general efficiency ratings. In general, a single wind turbine will convert about 20 percent of the energy in wind to electricity. The most efficient production occurs between five and 20 miles an hour of wind speed. This general 20 percent efficiency rating is roughly seven to five percent more efficient than solar power, but sunlight is constant whereas wind is not.

While wind technology has not yet progressed to a point where no energy is lost while harnessing it, it is fair to say that the platform is favorable compared to other renewable sources. It may take a while for the whole world to catch on to using the power of the wind, but it's definitely fast becoming an important alternative energy source. Countries such as Germany are certainly investing a lot into the platform.

For more information on wind energy, check out Wind Tech Research.