Attività

Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events:

1. The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere

2 .Irregularities of the earth's surface

3. The rotation of the earth. 

Wind flow patterns and speeds vary greatly across the United States and are modified by bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in

terrain. Humans use this wind flow, or motion energy, for many purposes: sailing, flying a kite, and even generating electricity.

The terms "wind energy" and "wind power" both describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or

electricity. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power

into electricity.

A horizontal wind turbine turns wind energy into electricity

using the aerodynamic force from the rotor blades, which work like an airplane wing or helicopter rotor blade. When wind flows across the blade, the air

pressure on one side of the blade decreases. The difference in air pressure across the two sides of the blade creates both lift and drag. The force of the

lift is stronger than the drag and this causes the rotor to spin. The rotor connects to the generator, either directly (if it’s a direct drive turbine) or

through a shaft and a series of gears (a gearbox) that speed up the rotation and allow for a physically smaller generator. This translation of aerodynamic

force to rotation of a generator creates electricity. 

Permanent magnets have been used to provide the magnetic field in small to medium sized generators for many years. The use of these in large

renewable energy (RE)generators may offer performance advantages for future utility-scale generators.