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The simplest way to think about this is to imagine that a wind turbine works in exactly the opposite way to a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, turbines use the wind to make electricity. Almost all wind turbines producing electricity consist of rotor blades which rotate around a horizontal hub, which is connected to a generator where the electricity is made.
More wind means higher electricity production, but more important is the average speed than the speed at any given moment. The bigger the rotor diameter, the higher the output and the higher the tower, the more wind the turbine catches.
A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs dependent on wind speed. Over the course of a year, it will generate about 30% of the theoretical maximum output. This is known as its load factor. The load factor of conventional power stations is on average 50%.
When turbine location maintenance is facilitated in the right way, wind energy is one of the safest energy technologies around. No member of the public has ever been injured by wind energy or wind turbines anywhere in the world, despite the fact that there are now over 100,000 operational wind turbines.
Turbines should be positioned with clear uninterrupted wind from the South-West in areas with an average wind speed exceeding 6 mps at 25m height. No houses should be located within 400m. Other technical factors will be considered during site scoping such as ecology, telecommunication, microwave links and electricity pylons etc. The turbine will also need a local sub station or grid connection so should not be too remote from a connection point.
Blue Energy wind turbines will start to produce at 3 m/s. However, once average wind speeds reach 6 m/s and above, the turbines become much more efficient. In short, stronger winds produce more electricity.
Wind turbines do need occasional maintenance and servicing. However, all of this will be managed and undertaken by Blue Energy. The average down-time during general maintenance and servicing work is usually limited to only a few hours.
Yes, the system is fully automatic. It will start automatically when the wind speed reaches at least 3 m/s and follows the wind direction accordingly. It slows down and stops automatically when the wind speeds reach or pass the maximum wind speed.
Yes, as wind energy is a clean energy it only has a positive impact! Wind energy decreases the use of fossil fuels, nuclear energy and other polluting energy sources. It also decreases CO2 emissions.
Many people are concerned about the influence wind turbines have on the safety of birds. Extensive surveys show that very few birds are killed by wind turbines and that they have no influence on the bird migratory routes at all.
Wind turbines are not noisy. The evolution of wind farm technology over the past decade has rendered mechanical noise from turbines almost undetectable with the main sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower. There are strict guidelines on wind turbines and noise emissions to ensure the protection of residential amenity. It is possible to stand underneath a turbine and hold a conversation without having to raise your voice. As wind speed rises, the noise of the wind masks the noise made by wind turbines.