- What is eolic energy?
- How is wind energy produced?
- What is wind energy for?
- Advantages of wind energy
- Disadvantages of wind energy
- Examples of wind energy
We explain what wind energy is and how it is produced. What is it for, advantages, disadvantages and examples of this renewable energy.
The air masses move the blades of the wind generators (mills).What is eolic energy?
Wind energy is that energy obtained by taking advantage of the force of the wind. Its name comes from the name of the god of the wind, Aeolus, according to greece mythology ancient.
The wind contains higher or lower indices of Kinetic energy, which through a system of blades and turbines can become electric power, in order to feed cities, industrial complexes or rural houses. Especially in geographic regions of constant and intense winds, this renewable natural resource it offers a relatively important, safe and ecological performance.
Wind energy, like solar energy, is part of the set of "green" or ecological energies that are more environmentally friendly. environment, at least compared to other highly polluting ones such as burning fossil fuels. That is why the installation of wind farms throughout the world has become massive in recent decades, in the face of the environmental alarm of the climate change.
These wind farms are usually built on the sea coast, where their performance is higher (although their costs are higher), as well as on plains and large plains where the wind is constant and considerable. Around 5% of the world's electricity generation is obtained from these sites, and countries like Denmark meet around 25% of their energy needs with them.
How is wind energy produced?
The uneven heating of the earth's surface by sunlight generates changes in the Pressure and the temperature of the air masses that winds naturally produce. Said masses of airWhen moving, they can move the blades of wind generators, which are basically mills, only instead of transforming the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy to grind the wheat, they do so into electrical energy that serves multiple uses.
This occurs because when the propeller blades move, driven by the wind, they rotate the rotor of a generator, which together with an alternator, produce a electric charge constant. These devices are called wind turbine generators, and many such facilities are often required, since their production is relatively low.
What is wind energy for?
Wind energy can be transformed into electricity, which is already a huge utility: lighting, heating, powering different devices, etc. Electricity is today an indispensable input of human civilization.
However, it is also wind energy that is transformed into mechanical energy for grinding wheat and other grains in traditional mills, or even for pumping Water. Let us remember that the wind is one of the most ancient forms of energy used.
Advantages of wind energy
The advantages of this type of energy are:
- Cleaning. It is a moderately ecological way of obtaining energy, since beyond the installation of wind farms, which can ruin somewhat the scenery, they do not produce any air pollutant nor of any other kind.
- Security. Wind farms do not present the short- and long-term risks of nuclear energy, nor do they represent damage to Health. Cases of annoyances due to the noise that these devices generate when rotating daily have been reported, and that is why their installation in moderately remote regions is preferred.
- It is renewable. Wind is an inexhaustible and natural source of energy.
- Use of the land. Wind farms can coexist with crops or other types of land use, or even in regions that are not otherwise cultivable, such as deserts or sea coasts or very steep slopes.
- cost. Wind technology is very inexpensive compared to other ways of obtaining electricity.
Disadvantages of wind energy
The disadvantages of wind energy are:
- Unpredictability The wind does not blow constantly with the same intensity, therefore the production of energy is irregular and cannot be depended only on it. It must be combined with some other method.
- Unprofitable. Wind power will be clean and safe, but it is not very efficient. Large areas of land are required to install numerous propellers and to be able to produce considerable amounts of electricity.
- Environmental impact. Although they do not pollute, wind farms disrupt the natural landscape and have an impact on the fauna local, such as migratory birds.
Examples of wind energy
There are well-known wind farms such as the La Venta Wind Farm, located in Oaxaca, Mexico, which is made up of 104 wind turbines that contribute about 85 Megawatts of electricity to the electricity grid.
Another perfect example of harnessing the wind is the windmills of La Mancha, Spain, considered national heritage and immortalized in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quijote of La Mancha, published in 1605.