subject: How Does Wind Energy Work: 3 Key Concepts [print this page] When most people first contemplate the question of how does wind energy work, they get the feeling right from the beginning that this area of renewable energy is quite doable by the average homeowner. The fact that wind energy is very straightforward is a major contributor to why home wind turbines have become so popular of late.
So, how does wind energy work and what are the steps to make home wind energy a reality at your home?
First of all and before we get started, realize that wind is just another form of solar power. The wind gets all of its juice from the action of the sun heating the Earth.Now this is how a home wind turbine extracts the latent power from the breezes around your home
The wind hits the turbine blades and the aerodynamic asymmetry causes the rotor system to turn.
The rotor system is attached to a shaft that rotates inside a housing that contains a generator.
The generator converts the mechanical energy of the turning shaft into electricity with magnets rotating around wires inside of its housing.Finally, the electricity that is created moves down the wires to whatever load you have it connected to.The electricity that is created can be used to power a device or appliance directly or it can be used to charge a set of batteries.
These are the steps you need to take to activate wind energy and make it a reality at your home
Sample your wind - This is a step that many people leave off but is the most crucial of all. The reason is everyone's wind behaves a little bit differently and you need to sample yours at various locations in order to get a clear picture of what raw materials, in the form of wind energy, you have to work with.
Check out community sentiment - Everybody's community reacts a little bit differently to the idea of having wind turbines in their midst. Some towns and neighborhoods are perfectly fine with these devices and then again some are horrified by the prospects of having one anywhere nearby. This is not something you are going to be likely to be able to change. You do need to understand what the local reaction is to these devices though before you move forward because you may be able select a wind turbine type that is less offensive than another one that might cause a problem with natives.
Make a decision and then check out grants and rebates - With this much attention being paid now to renewable energy choices at home, there are a lot of opportunities to get a good part of the system paid for by someone else. The federal government for example, has a 30% tax credit for anyone investing in wind energy. State and local governments also want to get in on the act, as well as manufacturers offering credits for purchasing their product over other vendors you might choose.
In the final analysis, the question of how wind energy works is not nearly as intimidating as the other forms of renewable energy solutions that you could consider if you carefully consider these main points.
