An apparatus for converting the kinetic

energy available in the wind to

mechanical energy that can be used to
power machinery (grain mills, water
pumps, etc) and/or to operate an
electrical generator. The life span of
modern wind turbines is now 20-25
years, which is comparable to many
other conventional power generation
technologies. The average availability of
commercial wind power plants is now
around 98%. The cost of wind power has
continued to decline through
technological development, increased
production level, and the use of larger
turbines. 
There are two alternative types of generators that run on wind energy,
and are able to convert the latter into mechanical energy or electrical
power, as the need might be.

•Wind energy turbines are the generators that produce electricity from
wind energy.
•
•Wind mills are the ones which are used to obtain mechanical power from
wind energy.

A conclusion regarding which of them involves less spending and/or

works more efficiently can be reached only after examining these two
wind energy conversion systems in detail.
Rotor blades  – The blades are basically the sails of
the system; in their simplest form, they act as barriers
to the wind (more modern blade designs go beyond the
barrier method). When the wind forces the blades to move,
it has transferred some of its energy to the rotor.
Shaft  – The wind-turbine shaft is connected to the
center of the rotor. When the rotor spins, the shaft
spins as well. In this way, the rotor transfers its
mechanical, rotational energy to the shaft, which enters
an electrical generator on the other end.
Generator  – At its most basic, a generator is a pretty
simple device. It uses the properties of electromagnetic
induction to produce electrical voltage – a difference
in electrical charge. Voltage is essentially electrical
pressure – it is the force that moves electricity, or
electrical current, from one point to another. A simple
generator consists of magnets and a conductor. The
conductor is typically a coiled wire. Inside the
generator, the shaft connects to an assembly of
permanent magnets that surrounds the coil of wire. In
electromagnetic induction, if you have a conductor
surrounded by magnets, and one of those parts is
rotating relative to the other, it induces voltage in
the conductor. When the rotor spins the shaft, the shaft
spins the assembly of magnets, generating voltage in the
coil of wire. That voltage drives electrical current
(typically alternating current, or AC power) out through
power lines for distribution.
Virtually all wind turbines used today fit within two
broad classes: Vertical and Horizontal Axis.

Vertical Axis   Horizontal Axis

In a typical wind energy conversion system these
components include:

• Wind turbine, including rotor and generator

• Control systems

• Gearbox

• Cable collector system

• Brakes

• Sensors

• Hydraulics
Yawing - Orienting the Turbine Into
the Wind
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines must be
able to rotate to face the wind. This is
called "yawing." The blades will not spin
if the wind is hitting them from the
side, so it is very important that the
turbine can yaw. There are two ways a
wind turbine can yaw: Active or Passive
yawing.

Passive Yawing  uses the force of the

wind to push the turbine into place. For
this to work, the turbine must either
have a downwind rotor or a vane to orient
the rotor perpendicular to the wind. Most
small wind turbines use passive yawing
systems.
Passive Yawing with Vane
Active Yawing  is used by all
Intermediate and Large turbines produced
today, as well as some small turbines
made in Europe. A small anemometer and
wind vane on top of the wind turbine
electronically tell a controller which
way to point the rotor into the wind.
Then the "yaw drive" mechanism turns
gears to point the rotor into the wind.
The major components of a typical wind
energy conversion system include a
wind turbine, a generator,
interconnection apparatus, and control
systems. At the present time and for
the near future, generators for wind
turbines will be synchronous
generators, permanent magnet
synchronous generators, and 
induction generators, including the
squirrel-cage type and wound rotor
type. For small to medium power wind
turbines, permanent magnet generators
and squirrel-cage induction generators
are often used because of their
reliability and cost advantages.
Induction generators, permanent magnet
synchronous generators, and wound
field synchronous generators are
currently used in various high power
wind turbines. 
nterconnection apparatuses are devices
to achieve power control, soft start,
and interconnection functions. Very
often, power electronic converters are
used as such devices. Most modern
turbine inverters are forced
commutated PWM inverters to provide a
fixed voltage and fixed frequency
output with a high power quality. Both
voltage source voltage controlled
inverters and voltage source current
controlled inverters have been applied
in wind turbines. For certain high
power wind turbines, effective power
control can be achieved with double
PWM (pulse-width modulation) converters
which provide a bidirectional power
flow between the turbine generator and
the utility grid. 
Wind energy systems: How advantageous are they?

•Wind is a free resource that can be easily obtained without any

additional cost.
•
•There are no risks of air pollution associated with using wind energy
conversion units, since the latter do not emit any harmful and
environmentally degrading greenhouse gas.
•
•Also, wind is a freely renewable energy source, since it cannot get
exhausted as long as the earth continues to receive sunrays.
•
•Wind energy is quiet and does not present any significant hazard to
birds or other wildlife.

•When large arrays of wind turbines are installed on farmland, only

about 2% of the land area is required for the wind turbines. The rest
is available for farming, livestock, and other uses.

•Ownership of wind turbine generators by individuals and the community

allows people to participate directly in the preservation of our
Despite there are manifold benefits of these
wind energy systems, the latter has a notable
downside too.

•Wind flow is an involuntary phenomenon

which can be rather irregular, not reaching
the required places within the scheduled
time.
•
•Also, these wind energy units should ideally
be built at sites located far away from posh
areas. Thus, the places that actually need the
electricity from these plants might not get it.