The Origins And Use Of Wind Power

The price of fossil fuels is increasing at an alarming rate and in addition they will not last forever. In order to tackle the problem it is imperative that we start using the many renewable energy resources provided to us by the Earth. Renewable sources such as solar power, tidal power, wave power and wind power. Wind is everywhere but how do we use it to create power? The concept of wind power goes back for 1000’s of years and was used to power boats and of course sail boats are still in use today although generally not on the same scale. Vertical-axis wind mills were used in Persia as water pumps and to grind corn and it is believed that these devices could have been used as early as the 7th century.

The wind power we are perhaps more familiar with would be the horizontal-axis windmill, which has huge sails mounted about a central axel. As the wind blows these sails they turn the axel and they could be used to drive the motion of a mechanism. An example of this would be in a flour mill where the sails would be used to drive large grinding stones that would crush grains into flour. Although the technology has moved on the principle is exactly the same today as it was 100’s of years ago. The difference is that the wind is driving blades rather than sails and these blades in turn drive a turbine that produces electricity.

Wind is abundant and free but unfortunately it is impossible to control and we cannot make the wind blow all the time, and this, of course is one of the drawbacks of wind power. In order to take advantage of the energy we can harvest from the wind it is necessary to install wind turbines in places where we know that the wind is likely to blow strong more often than not. They also need to be installed clear of obstructions such as trees and buildings as they will dampen the wind and have a negative effect on the power that can be generated. If buildings and trees are in the way then the wind turbines can still be installed but they must be built higher but care needs to be taken when doing so because the extra forces exerted could damage any structures these extra high turbines are attached to if they cannot bear the load.

Wind power is a useful renewable energy, however like all renewable energy sources cannot be viewed as the magic bullet to the future of our energy requirements. It needs to be integrated with other useful renewable energy sources in order to develop a stable sustainable supply of power.

By: David Andrew Hunter

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David is the editor of the Green Buyer Guide online Eco Friendly Magazine. More on wind power.