WIND ENERGY

American colonists

they used windmills to grind grain, pump water, and cut wood at sawmills.

5,000BC

People used wind energy to propel boats along the Nile River as early as_______

200 BC

By ______, simple wind-powered water pumps were used in China, and windmills with woven-reed blades were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East.

homesteaders and ranchers

they installed thousands of wind pumps as they settled the western United States.

oil shortages of the 1970s

it changed the energy environment for the United States and the world

wind energy

Refer to capturing the energy from moving air. i.,e wind and converting into electricity

kinetic energy

Generating wind energy is all about _____

wind turbine

it takes the kinetic energy of wind and turns it into electrical energy

nacelle

connected to the rotor——-a box like covering that contains a shaft and a generator.

chain of churning

The kinetic energy is transformed into electricity by a _______: the wind spins the blades, which also spins the rotor, which then turns the shaft, which spins the generator.

gearbox or direct drive system

The rotational energy from the blades is transferred to a ______ within the nacelle

increases

If a gearbox is used, it ________ the rotational speed of the blades to match the optimal speed for the generator.

generator

device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

rotating blades or gearbox

The ________ drive the generator

magnets or coils

Within the generator,______ interact to produce electricity

frequency converter

used to convert the variable frequency AC from the generator to a constant frequency (usually 50 or 60 Hz) required by the electrical grid.

transformer

steps up the voltage of the generated electricity to a high voltage suitable for transmission over long distances.

substation

The high-voltage electricity is transmitted through cables to a ________, where it is further transformed and distributed to the electrical grid

wind

The primary and only raw material for wind energy.

steel

Used for the turbine towers, blades, and nacelles.

concrete

Used for the foundations of the wind turbines.

fiberglass

Used in the blades for structural support.

electrical components

Cables, transformers, and other electrical equipment.