Examples of Wind Energy

The wind power it is obtained from the wind. This is possible because air currents have kinetic energy. It is a form of inexhaustible energy (or renewable). For example: wind turbines, windmills, sailboats.

The Kinetic energy It is the energy that moving objects have. Therefore, energy cannot be obtained simply from the air, but from the air when it moves, that is, the wind. This means that kinetic energy can only be harnessed where and when the air is moving. For this reason, wind energy is inconsistent in time and space.

Wind energy has been used for different purposes since the 7th century, mainly in mills (see examples). However, it has been used long before (about five thousand years ago) in sailing boats, as an alternative to oars.

To get electric power from wind they are used small wind turbines (micro-wind) since the first half of the 20th century in homes away from populations, since it is a form of energy independent of the networks and was developed before other forms of renewable energy and independent (such as solar energy).

Currently, the countries that have wind turbines (that is, they use wind energy to obtain electrical energy) are Germany, Spain, United States, India, Denmark, China, Italy, United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua, Honduras, Uruguay and Costa Delicious.

Advantages of wind energy

Disadvantages of wind energy

Examples of wind energy

1. Wind turbines. They are the most widely used way to obtain electricity from wind power today. These devices look like windmills (but much higher) with three white blades, which are moved by the kinetic energy of the wind. The movement of these loops is transformed by a generator into electrical energy. These large wind turbines are called horizontal axis and were created in 1980 in Denmark. Due to the high cost of its construction and technologyThey are not used in individual homes, but in wind farms that allow energy to be integrated into regional or national networks. But there are also vertical axis wind turbines, which can be placed closer to the ground, which facilitates their maintenance and installation. Wind turbines that are used for private houses are called micro-wind. They can be used independently (in homes away from electrical networks) or join the electrical network to reduce electrical costs.
2. Windmills. Unlike wind turbines, mills are not used to generate electrical energy but to grind grains (as the name implies). There are different types of mills that can use the energy of water (hydraulic mill), of animals (blood mills), or even small hand mills (like coffee grinders). Windmills are larger and the movement of the blades (due to the kinetic energy of the wind) in turn moves pairs of circular stones (millstone) that convert the grain into flour.
3. Pump mills. They are called "mills" because of their resemblance to windmills, but their function is not to grind, but to extract underground water to the surface. The movement of the blades, thanks to a set of gears, becomes a reciprocating movement that allows the water to be extracted. They are commonly used in rural areas to facilitate irrigation of crops and to increase the availability of water for consumption by animals.
4. Sailboats. They are boats that use sails to capture the energy of the wind and use it to move. They were the first means of transport used to travel long distances. Currently they are still used for recreational and sports purposes. Sailing (name of the sport with sailboats) has been an Olympic sport since 1900.

Other types of energy

Follow with: