Wind Turbine

Wind Turbine

A wind turbine can be a great way to generate electricity without having to rely on fossil fuels. Once set up, they can generate a significant amount of electricity and require very little in the way of maintenance. They are ideally suited for rural or remote locations where reliable power is needed.

There are basically two common types of wind turbine, those with a horizontal axis and those with a vertical axis. For large-scale electricity production, horizontal axis turbines are almost always used. These are the turbines one sees sitting atop the large towers common to commercial wind farms. Vertical axis turbines are most often used for smaller-scale residential applications.

Regardless of the orientation of its axis, however, the average wind turbine operates on the same set of principles. They all use blades of some kind to capture the wind, which then forces the blades to spin. As they spin, they turn the shaft that spins inside the turbine, thereby creating electricity. This electricity can then be used directly, or can be stored for use at a later time.