The energy in the wind called kinetic energy turns the turbine blades around the rotor creating mechanical energy. The rotor connects to the main shaft, which turns inside the generator housing. Here, a magnetic rotor spins inside loops of copper wire. This causes electrons inside the cooper to flow; creating electrical energy what we call electricity in our daily lives.
The electricity generated then travels down large cables from the nacelle, through the tower, and into an underground cable. At wind farms, cables from different turbines take the electricity generated to a substation. There are two general types of wind turbines : horizontal axis the most common and vertical-axis turbines. Ocean thermal energy conversion OTEC systems use a temperature difference between ocean water at different depths to power a turbine to produce electricity.
There are many different types of electricity generators that do not use turbines to generate electricity. The most common in use today are solar photovoltaic PV systems and internal combustion engines. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. They are used to power devices as small as wrist watches and can be connected together in panels that are connected together in arrays to power individual homes or form large power plants.
Photovoltaic PV power plants are now one of the fastest growing sources of electricity generation around the world. Internal combustion engines , such as diesel engines, are used all around the world for electricity generation including in many remote villages in Alaska.
They are also widely used for mobile power supply at construction sites and for emergency or backup power supply for buildings and power plants. Diesel-engine generators can use a variety of fuels including petroleum diesel, biomass-based liquid fuels and biogas, natural gas, and propane. Small internal combustion engine generators fueled with gasoline, natural gas, or propane are commonly used by construction crews and tradespeople and for emergency power supply for homes.
Other types of electricity generators include fuel cells , Stirling engines used in solar thermal parabolic-dish generators , and thermoelectric generators. Energy storage systems for electricity generation include hydro-pumped storage, compressed-air storage, electrochemical batters, and flywheels.
These energy storage systems use electricity to charge a storage facility or device, and the amount of electricity that they can supply is less than the amount they use for charging.
Therefore, the net electricity generation from storage systems is counted as negative to avoid double counting electricity use for charging the storage system. Generation from storage systems is netted out of total annual electricity generation to avoid double counting of energy storage charging sources. Source: U.
Electricity explained How electricity is generated. What is energy? Units and calculators. Use of energy. Energy and the environment. Also in What is energy? Forms of energy Sources of energy Laws of energy.
Also in Units and calculators explained Units and calculators Energy conversion calculators British thermal units Btu Degree days. Also in U. Also in Use of energy explained Use of energy Energy use in industry Energy use for transportation Energy use in homes Energy use in commercial buildings Energy efficiency and conservation.
Also in Energy and the environment explained Energy and the environment Greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases and the climate Where greenhouse gases come from Outlook for future emissions Recycling and energy. Nonrenewable sources. Oil and petroleum products. Single small wind turbines—below kilowatts—are typically used for residential, agricultural, and small commercial and industrial applications.
Small turbines can be used in hybrid energy systems with other distributed energy resources, such as microgrids powered by diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaics. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations where a connection to the utility grid is not available and are becoming more common in grid-connected applications for resiliency.
Learn more about distributed wind from the Distributed Wind Animation or read about what the Wind Energy Technologies Office is doing to support the deployment of distributed wind systems for homes, businesses, farms, and community wind projects.
Interested in wind energy? The Small Wind Guidebook helps homeowners, ranchers, and small businesses decide if wind energy can work for them. This video highlights the basic principles at work in wind turbines and illustrates how the various components work to capture and convert wind energy to electricity.
See the text version. Find out more about wind energy by visiting the Wind Energy Technologies Office web page or browsing the office's funded activities. Explore a Wind Turbine. Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events: The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere Irregularities of the earth's surface The rotation of the earth.
Types of Wind Turbines The majority of wind turbines fall into two basic types:. Horizontal-Axis Turbines. Horizontal-axis wind turbines are what many people picture when thinking of wind turbines.
Vertical-Axis Turbines. Mike vanBavel Applications of Wind Turbines Modern wind turbines can be categorized by where they are installed and how they are connected to the grid:. Land-Based Wind. Land-based wind turbines range in size from kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Offshore Wind.
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