Wind+Power

**Blown Away By Wind Power ** Fiona McCarey

Important Vocabulary

Turbine - machine with rotating blades ( with out these, there would be no wind power)

Generator - machine that turns mechanical energy into electrical energy ( this is the device inside the nacelle on top of the turbine)

Pitch Control - changing the angle of the blades to control the speed at which they spin ( we need to control the speed of the blades because if they spin too fast it could become dangerous)

Rotor - the spinning assembly and blades of the wind turbine ( without the rotor nothing would spin the generator inside the nacelle and wouldn't create any electrical energy)

Fan tail - a small wheel on a wind turbine that keeps the main blades facing the wind ( if the blades don't face the wind they won't turn and won't create electrical energy)

Anemometer - a device used to measure wind speed ( we need to know the speed of the wind so we can angle the blades correctly )

Drag - the slowing force of the wind as it strikes and object ( this plays into how fast the turbine will turn when the wind hits it)

Wind farm - group of wind turbines ( wind farms will be made when a certain place is found that looks suitable for wind turbines to be put without it disturbing the public too much) Wind farms are placed in less populated areas like in valleys, desert, or on a plateau.

[|"Wind Power"] This news article talks about how the idea of wind energy is slowly developing and where the turbines are to be placed for the most electrical energy to be produced.

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This video explains how wind turbines generate electricity, but for a more direct explanation, read the steps below and if you still don't understand how the turbines work, you can look at a picture of the steps below the explanation.

Steps on how Wind turbines create energy

1. The blades of the turbines are connected to a shaft which is stored in the nacelle, so when the blades turn in the wind they turn the shaft aswell.

2. The shaft makes magnets spin inside wire coils to produce electrical energy.

3. The electrical energy is then carried down a wire through the sraff holding up the nacelle and blades to join up to a main electrical network at the nearest available point.



Conservation of Wind Power

In step one, the kinetic energy of the wind turns into mechanical energy when it turns the blades.

In step two, the mechanical energy is turned into electrical energy when it spins the magnets.

In step three, the electrical energy stays as electrical energy and used in people's homes.

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 Advantages of Wind energy

1. Wind will never run out, so there's no worry to the question if we'll have enough.

2. Wind turbines don't use any fuel, so the machines exert no pollution to the earth.

3. Wind farms are a unique sight, some people think that wind farms are cool to look at.

4. Wind turbines don't take up that much space. People can still use the earth under the turbines.

5. Wind energy is a great resource for rural areas with less sun.  Disadvantages of Wind energy

1. Wind turbines require wind to work, so if there's no wind, people are kind of in a rut.

2. Some people think that wind turbines are unsightly.

3. Wind turbines kill birds. Birds are attracted to the turbines by the hum of the blades, so when they fly through the blade paths of the turbines they can get chopped.

4. Wind turbines are a little noisy. They make a hum and whooshing sound. Too many wind turbines can sound like the landing of a UFO!