Wind turbines use the wind’s kinetic energy to
generate electrical energy that can be used in homes and businesses.
Individual wind turbines can be used to generate electricity on a small
scale – to power a single home, for example. A large number of wind
turbines grouped together, sometimes known as a wind farm or wind park,
can generate electricity on a much larger scale.
A wind turbine works like a high-tech version of
an old-fashioned windmill. The wind blows on the angled blades of the
rotor, causing it to spin, converting some of the wind’s kinetic energy
into mechanical energy. Sensors in the turbine detect how strongly the
wind is blowing and from which direction. The rotor automatically turns
to face the wind, and automatically brakes in dangerously high winds to
protect the turbine from damage.
A shaft and gearbox connect the rotor to a
generator (1), so when the rotor spins, so does the generator. The
generator uses an electromagnetic field to convert this mechanical
energy into electrical energy.
The electrical energy from the generator is
transmitted along cables to a substation (2). Here, the electrical
energy generated by all the turbines in the wind farm is combined and
converted to a high voltage. The national grid uses high voltages to
transmit electricity efficiently through the power lines (3) to the
homes and businesses that need it (4). Here, other transformers reduce
the voltage back down to a usable level.
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