The Physics of Wind Energy
Wind energy is harnessed and used to make electricity by using steel towers with rotor blades known as wind turbines. Wind farms are extremely popular in Ireland due to the climate here.
What is a wind farm comprised of?
A wind farm is made up of a group of wind turbines located relatively in the same area which are then interconnected with a medium-voltage power collection system together with a communications network. On the site, there is also a substation. Here, the medium-voltage electrical current is increased with a transformer for connection to the higher voltage transmission system. There are currently 276 wind farms in Ireland.
How is wind energy measured?
Manufacturers measure the capacity of their wind turbines to produce electric power in megawatts (MW). One MW is the same as one million watts. The production of this kind of power over time is measured in megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy. It is believed that 1MW of wind capacity can provide enough electricity to supply approximately 650 homes. Ireland has an installed wind capacity of 3,916 MW. Based on the previous figures 3,916 MW can give enough electricity to power over 2.54 million homes
How is wind power converted into electricity?
Wind turbines capture the wind to produce energy. They operate on a simple principle. The wind makes the steel rotor on the turbine spin. As the rotor spins, the movement of the blades drive a generator that creates energy. This movement is known as kinetic energy and is converted into electricity.
Advantages of Wind Energy
Wind energy is cost effective. Land-based wind is one of the lowest price energy sources available today. It costs between two and six cents per kilowatt-hour.
It’s a clean fuel source. Wind energy doesn’t pollute the air like power plants that burn fossil fuels and release harmful fumes into the atmosphere.
It’s a sustainable source of energy. Winds are caused by the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of the Earth, and the Earth's surface irregularities. As long as we have the sun we will have wind.
Disadvantages of Wind Energy
Turbine blades could damage local wildlife. For example, birds flying into the blades.
Turbines cause noise and visual pollution. People living near them would find them noisy and causing a visual impact on the landscape.
Good wind sites are often in remote locations away from cities. This means transmission lines have to be built to bring the electricity from the wind farm to the city.