FXSTD – Alternative Energy Center

By: Abhishek Agarwal
wind. Wind is an environment-friendly source of energy. It is also inexpensive. As such, it is gaining popularity vis-à-vis high fuel prices and the ensuing damage to the environment caused by conventional fuel. In addition to windmills, winds are fast becoming the moving force for creating electricity.

Did you even imagine that almost 3 percent of the sun’s energy can be converted to wind power? Of course, the origin and use of the energy are quite complex, involving continuous variables that have a direct effect on its efficiency and long term usage. Huge turbines are used for this purpose. Wind energy is converted to power using efficient wind turbines. The wind power turns the blades, generating huge electrical current. This current is then turned into a generator.

You can see wind farms all across California too. The energy of the wind can be harnessed to produce electricity. Wind farms which have 200 turbines generally produce 200-300 watts of electricity. These turbines are grouped together in wind farms. Wind power is successfully harnessed to its best capacity by the leader in this field, i.e. Germany. All throughout this country, the energy of wind is used as a generator.

There are many variables which affect the output of the electrical energy of the wind. They are the location of the turbines, their proximity to each other, and more importantly, the speed of the wind. Scientists are experimenting with these variables so that they can get the optimum output of electricity using the wind energy. The turbines are placed as high up on the mountains as possible and they are grouped together so as to gather the wind power most efficiently.

Though the wind comes free, the turbines are expensive to make and a lot of cost is involved to put them in place. The turbines are also quite noisy and detrimental to animal life. If these drawbacks can be overcome, wind energy could well prove to be a viable source of energy and of wide use. It is necessary to store the energy so generated so that it can be used only when needed.

It should also be practical to use this stored energy. Scientists are finding ways to store up the energy so that it can be widely used.

One way is to increase the output of energy to the maximum and store the surplus amounts for future use. This usage could fluctuate as per the need. It would also need to be cost-effective. So cost comparisons are imperative. This energy storage facility is hydro-electric and is known as flywheel.

Wide scale studies are going on to explore this alternative form of energy. Leaders in the field including China, Brazil, United Kingdom, Canada and Denmark. Turbines are even manufactured by Denmark for self-consumption. We are as yet novices in the field. The US has yet to learn to use the power efficiently.