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Using Wind Power as an Alternative Energy Essay

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Using Wind Power as an Alternative Energy

Energy is the ability to do work. It surrounds us in all aspect of life. However, the ability to harness it and use it, as economically as possible, is the challenge before mankind. Alternative energy refers to energy sources, which are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or the splitting of atoms. The renewed interest in this field of study comes from the undesirable effects of pollution both from burning fossil fuels and nuclear waste by products. Fortunately, there are many means of harnessing energy that have less damaging impacts on the environment. One example wind power. Wind energy is a clean and renewable source of electric power and is also the world's fastest growing energy …show more content…

A wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns a blade, which spins a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups, the horizontal axis and the vertical axis design. Horizontal axis wind turbines have blades that spin in a vertical plane like airplane propellers. The blades have a special shape so that when wind passes over them, it moves more rapidly over one side. This creates a low pressure behind the blade and a high-pressure area in front of it. The difference between these two pressures causes the blades to spin. The blades of a vertical axis wind machine work on the same principles as horizontal axis machine. The shape of the blades causes the pressure to differ when the wind blows over them. This causes the assembly to spin. In a vertical axis machine, however, the blades spin in a plane that is parallel to the ground like an eggbeater. Wind turbines are made in a variety of sizes, and therefor power ratings. The largest machine, such as the one built in Hawaii, has propellers that span more than the length of a football field and stands twenty stories high. It also produces enough electricity to power fourteen hundred homes. A small home sized

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