Wind Turbine Types

A machine that converts the kinetic energy from wind into mechanical energy can be termed one of two things. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stone, that machine is usually called a windmill. If the mechanical energy is converted into electricity, the machine is usually called a wind generator.

Windmill or generator, both types of machines need turbines and blades to operate. There are all types of turbine articles in books, magazines, and online for those who are interested in knowing more about either the history, present, or even future of these dynamos.

There are many different types of big wind turbine. There are some that are named for where they are located, such as offshore, onshore, or aerial wind. There are the wind generators known by their acronyms, HAWT, or Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine, and VAWT, or Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.

Another name for VAWT is the darrieus type of wind turbine. The aerofoils are vertically mounted on a rotating shaft. The vertical arrangement has several advantages. The generator can be placed near the ground for easier servicing, rather than up the tower as in other types of wind turbines. The supporting tower can be much lighter than in different types of wind turbines.

There is also some variety of wind turbine blade types. There are the blades, and there are the aerofoil, that resembles a ribbon attached to the top and bottom of the shaft. They may also remind one of an eggbeater shape. Theoretically, they should be just as good as the propeller type of blade, but in practice, due to physical stress and limitations imposed by the design, that efficiency is rarely realized.

When it comes to the different kinds of HAWT turbines, the size of the diameters really matters. The turbine's blade's potential is calculated by how much wind it will intercept. The more wind, the more electricity. The large commercial electricity-makers are usually three bladed and pointed into the wind by computer-controlled motors. Of course, in a smaller, private-application turbine, the turbines can be turned manually to catch the wind, but it is supposed that the cleverer among us could build a REALLY impressive computer-controlled aerial array, couldn't they? Something to aspire to, hmm?

It is reckoned that wind power, different kinds of wind turbine, can meet 20% of the America's electricity needs. Who's for rolling up their sleeves and accepting that challenge?