Wind energy benefits:
- pollution free
- costs drop as technology improves
- higher revenues as fossil fuels deplete
Horizontal
Axis Wind
Turbine
Two Blades:Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
- most successful
- used in Solano, California and Oahu, Hawaii
- Contain tethering hubs to reduce dynamic loads created by the tower
- ex. MOD-2
Two Blades with vanes on tip of blades:
- Vanes are:
- emergency brakes
- active brakes for normal shut downs
- held close by electromagnets
- ex. AWT-26 in Washington state
Three Blades:
- suited for remote areas and small power need
- simple form of a wind turbine
- ex. AOC 15/50, Z-40
Three Blades with a tail:
- tail turns to gather the greatest winds
- used in low wind speed areas such as Africa
- ex. PT 3600
Three Blades spin about an axis:
- use wind coming from all directions
- has large amounts of aerodynamic drag
- blades can be changed for area requirements
- ex. FloWind's 300kw EHD
Firewood
Waste to Energy
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