The second is distributed, meaning a single wind turbine powers a home or small business that does not connect to the grid. The last is offshore wind energy, which entails multiple wind turbines in a large body of water. Together, the turbines generate a greater amount of power. This is the concept of a wind farm, where multiple turbines work congruently for a larger electricity output.
Apart from their terminology and end production goals, their applications and purposes are what set them apart. Though both are sustainable, turbines are leading the wind energy movement due to their versatility and ability to produce large amounts of electricity. Fossil fuels and non-renewable energy are on their way out, however slowly. The progress is gradual but sustainable, and renewable energy is working its way into the industry. Wind power is one of the central focuses of this change.
One of the oldest arguments in support of fossil fuels is that renewable energies are impractical and expensive. But wind energy is challenging, and disproving, those ideas. First, renewable energy prices are dropping every year. While fossil fuel prices fluctuate depending on the economy and geopolitics, wind prices remain consistent. But the debate between renewable and non-renewable energy continues. Skeptics raise concerns over the placement of the turbines and their abilities for power.
Those who are pro-wind energy discuss how the pros outweigh the cons. Those in favor also bring up the environmental benefits of renewable energy. Fossil fuels release CO2 emissions, which contribute to the greenhouse gas effect and climate change. Wind energy has no harmful emissions and can last theoretically forever. Wind is essentially disrupting the norms of the energy industry. It is focusing the conversation on better ways to generate electricity for people and the earth.
Renewable energy is here for the long run. As more people turn to sustainable options, renewable energy resources will continue to develop. And technology plays a helpful role in that development. For instance, you may know of the Internet of Things IoT and how it is the center of the new technological movement.
IoT is a network of interconnected devices that can send and receive data through internet connections. It is where much of the technology of today emerges from.
With wind energy, you may see IoT providing technology and devices to improve upon an already clean system. A platform, for example, that links wind turbines together digitally could optimize their storage. This could ultimately maximize their capacity for storing electricity. Another point of skepticism towards wind power is its ability to store energy, so future technology will come in handy for maximizing it.
Though it can already save energy for periods of time without wind, new tech will help improve upon its capacity.
Bladeless wind turbines have been in talks for years and are starting to come to fruition. These cost less to manufacture and put into production than the turbines with blades.
They also are safer for birds. Last, keep an eye out for future overlapping of renewable energies. Since these energies are sustainable, getting them to work with each other could help efficiency and production. So, something like hydro-wind power may not be too far away.
Windmills and turbines are two similar forms of energy production. On the Windmill Template, the solid lines indicate where to cut the paper and the dotted lines indicate where to fold but not crease it. The circles indicate where to punch holes. The corners of the windmill are folded over and attached to the straw and the rubber bands are used to keep the windmill in place.
On the worksheet, Figure C shows the cup and string attachment, and Figure D shows how to hold the machine so that the straw spins freely as the windmill turns.
Students will discover through trial and error how best to attach the string to the straw. Because there is no exact description of materials, student choices may vary. For example, one team may choose regular bond paper for the windmill while another may choose a card stock. This provides a good opportunity to discuss how different materials behave within the design and why.
Students familiar with pinwheels will know that blowing on the windmill causes it to turn. Students may then use this information to help them understand how wheel-and-axle machines work. If students are not familiar with this type of simple machine, you may want to identify it at the activity's end. Transfer all the pattern's lines and circles.
Use a pencil or single hole punch to punch a hole through the center circle you may need to fold the pattern in half to use the single hole punch.
Then punch a hole in each corner circle. Cut along the solid lines, making sure not to cut the center hole. Insert a straw through the center hole. Fold each corner along the dotted line and insert the straw through each corner hole.
Slide the windmill to the center of the straw. Wrap a rubber band around the straw on each side of the windmill to keep the windmill in place. Punch two holes on either side of a small paper cup. Thread one end of the string through both holes and tie it to the middle of the string.
Tie the other end of the string to one end of the straw. Hold the straw with both hands as shown in the diagram of the template. Blow on the windmill or use a hair dryer.
As the windmill turns, the straw rotates, winding the string and lifting the cup. This should provide free movement of the straw. Machine Assembly instructions OPTION 2: Instead of step-by-step instructions, you can present the scenario and let students be creative on how they solve the problem.
Give students any of the supplies from the supply list. Set up the scenario by challenging students to make a windmill that can lift weights in a cup up into the air. Design a windmill that will generate enough torque power to raise a cup attached to a string.
Students can experiment with the size and shape of the windmill blades. Design a foundation for their windmills attached to a table would work best. When it is time to test, use the hair dryer fan to power the windmill. Hold the hair dryer 10 cm away set on high. How much weight can your windmill lift? Use pennies or gram weights to weigh down the cup. You can redesign your windmill twice, each time testing and hopefully increasing the amount of weight that can be lifted.
With the final design, record how much weight was lifted. Students may experiment by changing the size of the windmill, the type of paper used for the windmill, the diameter of the straw, or even substituting entirely new materials. Why is Iowa a good place for wind? After creating and testing the student windmills, bring them back together and refocus them by displaying a map on a large screen. Land-based wind turbines range in size from kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Offshore Wind.
Offshore wind turbines tend to be massive, and taller than the Statue of Liberty. These turbines are able to capture powerful ocean winds and generate vast amounts of energy. Distributed Wind. Primus WindPower Learn More. Wind Energy Resources. Energy Generating Clean Electricity from the Wind. Video Url. History of U. Wind Energy. Through history, the use of wind power has waxed and waned,from the use of windmills in centuries past to high tech wind turbines on wind farms tod Brush up on your knowledge of wind!
Get the details on a few of the lesser-known wind energy facts. Who Uses Distributed Wind? There are many different types of distributed wind customer. Find out more about distributed wind and who uses it. Learn about key facts related to wind turbines used in distributed applications. Learn more about efforts to develop America's vast offshore wind resources.
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