How does a wind turbine work?
What happens inside a wind turbine so that it can transform wind into electricity? In this video we show the process
How is wind power converted into electrical energy? You've probably seen sometime a wind farm: several wind turbines, like the old windmills that move their blades when the air blows. It is a simple process at first glance, but maybe you don't know what happens inside a turbine to convert wind power into electricity.
In the video below we will you show in detail what is the process by which we take a free and inexhaustible natural resource such as the force of the air in motion to bring electricity to cities, homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and, ultimately, anywhere where necessary.
We'll use as example the AW3000 wind turbine model manufactured by ACCIONA Windpower, although the basic functioning of all modern wind turbines is very similar.
How much electricity is produced by a wind turbine?
The capacity of wind turbines vary from one model to another. In the case of ACCIONA Windpower, two nominal powers are exploited: 1,500 kW and 3,000 kW. The rated power is generated by the machine when operating at maximum power. Therefore, an AW3000 turbine run for about 2,500 hours per year (considered average wind potential, although there are sites exceeding 4,000 hours) will produce 7,500 MWh of electricity, equivalent to the consumption of over two thousand households.
Wind energy implementation
Wind energy is the renewable technology that has developed more over recent decades. It is estimated that by the year 2020 it will employ more than 1,200,000 people worldwide. Its global implementation is continuously growing and today is present in 79 countries; 24 of them with more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) installed. In terms of accumulation of megawatts, the five main markets are China, USA, Germany, Spain and India.
How much electricity is generated by wind power?
Today, wind power provides almost 3% of global electricity consumption (2.9%). Industry expectations indicate that by the end of the decade capacity will double, which shows the confidence of the experts in this type of renewable energy as an engine of tomorrow's world.
More information about wind turbines.
