Solar And Wind 4 Me

The windmill, now one of the stars of the worldwide drive to develop a reasonably priced, non-polluting alternative energy source, has humble origins.

The first windmills were built to automate the tasks of grain-grinding and water-pumping, and the earliest-known design is the vertical axis system developed in Persia about 500-900 A.D.

The windmill’s rise to stardom in America began in the mid-19th century when a machinist in Connecticut named Daniel Halladay was asked by a traveling salesman to invent a windmill that, among other things, would pump water for livestock.

Those crude, mostly wooden early devices weren’t very reliable and had a very short shelf life. And Halladay and the Persian engineers would hardly recognize today’s windmills.

In fact, the three-bladed towering steel behemoths that have sprung up by the thousands in wind farms around the globe aren’t even called windmills anymore.

They have the space age moniker of “wind turbines.” And here a few of their vital characteristics:

** The turbines are pointed into the wind by computer-controlled motors.

** They have high tip speeds of up to six times the wind speed.

** They have high efficiency and low torque ripple, which contribute to good reliability.

** The blades are usually light gray to blend in with the clouds and range in length from 65 feet to 130 feet or more.

** The tubular steel towers range from 200 to 300 feet in height.

** The blades rotate at 10-22 revolutions per minute. A gear box is commonly used to step up the speed of the generator, although designs may also use direct drive of an annular generator. Some models operate at constant speed, but more energy can be collected by variable-speed turbines, which use a solid-state power converter to interface to the transmission system.

** All turbines are equipped with shut-down features to avoid damage at high wind speeds.

Pretty impressive.

But it’s not as if wind turbines are without flaws. They do, in fact, have a few negative effects on the environment.

One is sight pollution. Wind turbines are very visible and unsightly because they must be put in proximity to windy, open terrain to be useful.

Wind turbines also require a great deal of energy in their manufacture. This energy is typically fossil-based, and it can take up to five years before wind tunnels are positive in terms of total carbon emissions.

Wind turbines also are linked to the mauling of wildlife – birds have been mutilated as they passed through the turbine fans during migration.

Despite the downsides, however, wind turbines are and should be a choice when devising a broad plan for renewable energy.

For one thing, wind turbines are amazingly efficient. They generate power from a natural, eco-friendly renewable resource, without the hidden social or environmental penalties that we incur with the use of fossil fuels.

There is no need to mine for fuel or to transport it; there are no global warming pollutants created and no need to store, process or dispose of toxic wastes. Wind turbines are clean and green. They don’t create the carbon dioxide emissions that are causing greenhouse gases or the acidic emissions that cause acid rain.

And as with photovoltaic solar power generation, there might be rebates available for construction of wind turbines, and excess energy can be sold back to the power company.

Small wonder, then, that the public application of wind power has gotten widespread attention.

But one has to wonder: Is it possible, in this high-tech age, to return to simpler times?

Is there potentially an even better use of this gift from Mother Nature, better than the massive wind farms you see on TV?

Of course, there is the possibility of having your own home energy system installed – your own solar panels, your own windmill, etc. That is, that’s a possibility if you have a few thousand dollars lying around not doing anything.

But given the precarious state of the world economy at the moment, how many are willing – or can afford – to make such an investment?

Well, it just so happens there is another alternative. Much cheaper. Just as reliable. And ultimately far more satisfying.

In fact, this particular alternate use of wind power could be a financial windfall for you. Isn’t it time to eliminate your light bill altogether?

Dave Tishendorf
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/wind-turbines-here-is-something-better-750346.html

The windmill, now one of the stars of the worldwide drive to develop a reasonably priced, non-polluting alternative energy source, has humble origins.

The first windmills were built to automate the tasks of grain-grinding and water-pumping, and the earliest-known design is the vertical axis system developed in Persia about 500-900 A.D.

The windmill’s rise to stardom in America began in the mid-19th century when a machinist in Connecticut named Daniel Halladay was asked by a traveling salesman to invent a windmill that, among other things, would pump water for livestock.

Those crude, mostly wooden early devices weren’t very reliable and had a very short shelf life. And Halladay and the Persian engineers would hardly recognize today’s windmills.

In fact, the three-bladed towering steel behemoths that have sprung up by the thousands in wind farms around the globe aren’t even called windmills anymore.

They have the space age moniker of “wind turbines.” And here a few of their vital characteristics:

** The turbines are pointed into the wind by computer-controlled motors.

** They have high tip speeds of up to six times the wind speed.

** They have high efficiency and low torque ripple, which contribute to good reliability.

** The blades are usually light gray to blend in with the clouds and range in length from 65 feet to 130 feet or more.

** The tubular steel towers range from 200 to 300 feet in height.

** The blades rotate at 10-22 revolutions per minute. A gear box is commonly used to step up the speed of the generator, although designs may also use direct drive of an annular generator. Some models operate at constant speed, but more energy can be collected by variable-speed turbines, which use a solid-state power converter to interface to the transmission system.

** All turbines are equipped with shut-down features to avoid damage at high wind speeds.

Pretty impressive.

But it’s not as if wind turbines are without flaws. They do, in fact, have a few negative effects on the environment.

One is sight pollution. Wind turbines are very visible and unsightly because they must be put in proximity to windy, open terrain to be useful.

Wind turbines also require a great deal of energy in their manufacture. This energy is typically fossil-based, and it can take up to five years before wind tunnels are positive in terms of total carbon emissions.

Wind turbines also are linked to the mauling of wildlife – birds have been mutilated as they passed through the turbine fans during migration.

Despite the downsides, however, wind turbines are and should be a choice when devising a broad plan for renewable energy.

For one thing, wind turbines are amazingly efficient. They generate power from a natural, eco-friendly renewable resource, without the hidden social or environmental penalties that we incur with the use of fossil fuels.

There is no need to mine for fuel or to transport it; there are no global warming pollutants created and no need to store, process or dispose of toxic wastes. Wind turbines are clean and green. They don’t create the carbon dioxide emissions that are causing greenhouse gases or the acidic emissions that cause acid rain.

And as with photovoltaic solar power generation, there might be rebates available for construction of wind turbines, and excess energy can be sold back to the power company.

Small wonder, then, that the public application of wind power has gotten widespread attention.

But one has to wonder: Is it possible, in this high-tech age, to return to simpler times?

Is there potentially an even better use of this gift from Mother Nature, better than the massive wind farms you see on TV?

Of course, there is the possibility of having your own home energy system installed – your own solar panels, your own windmill, etc. That is, that’s a possibility if you have a few thousand dollars lying around not doing anything.

But given the precarious state of the world economy at the moment, how many are willing – or can afford – to make such an investment?

Well, it just so happens there is another alternative. Much cheaper. Just as reliable. And ultimately far more satisfying.

In fact, this particular alternate use of wind power could be a financial windfall for you. Isn’t it time to eliminate your light bill altogether?

Dave Tishendorf
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/wind-turbines-here-is-something-better-750346.html