Wind Turbines - How to Harvest the Wind

By Hans Dekker

Wind is produced from the uneven heating of the
atmosphere and irregularities in the earth’s surface.
The air movement between these areas is what we refer to
as wind. Just as we can use flowing water to turn
turbines, we can harness the power of the wind with wind
turbines to create electricity.

Wind turbines have been in use since the 1920s. Their
earliest use was to provide electricity in remote areas
that didn’t have access to a large utility company.
Today there are fewer areas that are "off the grid" but
wind power can now be used to supplement traditional
power sources.

Wind turbines can be used individually to provide power
for a household, or they can be used in arrays to
provide electricity on a large scale. These arrays of
industrial sized turbines are called "wind farms" and
are usually situated in areas that receive consistent
strong winds. Coastal areas, hilltops, and mountain
passes are common areas for wind farms.

Thanks to advances in wind turbine technology we are now
able to use the wind as an affordable alternative to
fossil fuel for producing power. New technologies make
turbines more efficient and modern production techniques
bring the cost of turbines down.

When used as a supplement for residential electricity,
wind turbines are connected to the breaker box provided
by the power company. The power produced is available
for immediate consumption, and if the wind turbine
produces more electricity than is needed the excess is
fed back into the utility grid for a credit on the
homeowners power bill.

For those interested in living "off the grid" wind power
can be used in conjunction with other alternative energy
sources such as solar power. These two methods of
producing electricity complement each other, when the
sun is strong, the wind may be low, and the wind may be
stronger on cloudy days.

Also, since solar power is not produced at night, a wind
turbine can provide the electricity at this time.

Our site provides more in depth information wind energy
and the other sustainable energy sources, howto's and
downloadable building plans.


Hans is author of
http://www.alternative-energy-guide.com/ find more
information at the our wind power section