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Wind turbine facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Windmills D1-D4 (Thornton Bank)
Wind farm in the North Sea off Belgium

A wind turbine is a rotating machine that transfers kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as for pumping water, cutting lumber or grinding stones, the machine is called a windmill. If the mechanical energy is instead converted to electricity, the machine may be called a wind turbine generator (WTG), wind power unit (WPU), wind energy converter (WEC), or aerogenerator.

Turning the generator

The wind turbine's blades are turned by the wind. This turns a shaft turning slowly, at about 10-20 rpm with a high torque. The shaft goes into a reduction gearbox with a ratio of about 1:50, although some wind turbine gearboxes can have a ratio of 1:100 or more. Some wind turbines may have no reduction gearbox at all, and have a ratio of 1:1. The gearbox turns the generator more quickly, at around 1000 rpm, at a low torque. The generator creates electricity. This electricity is combined with any other wind turbines that may be in the same wind farm. This combined electricity may be used locally, or adjusted to match the electricity in the power grid and sent to the power grid.

Environmental Impact

Although wind turbines are a renewable source of energy and don't pollute the environment as a result of generating power, they have an environmental impact. Some people think that wind turbines create a lot of noise and look unappealing. However, wind turbines are placed no closer than 300 meters from residential homes. At that distance, a wind turbine is no louder than an average household air conditioner.

Windkraftanlage Dimension
A wind turbine with its rotor blade dismounted for maintenance; please note the car in the picture, an Opel Astra G convertible, which is there for scale.

Images for kids

  • James Blyth's 1891 windmill

    James Blyth's electricity-generating wind turbine, photographed in 1891

  • HAWT and VAWTs in operation medium

    The three primary types: VAWT Savonius, HAWT towered; VAWT Darrieus as they appear in operation

  • Scout moor gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly

    Components of a horizontal axis wind turbine (gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly) being lifted into position

  • Wind Turbines (5132099985)

    Offshore Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) at Scroby Sands Wind Farm, England

  • One Energy in Findlay, OH assembles one of their permanent magnet direct-drive wind turbines.

    The rotor of a gearless wind turbine being set. This particular turbine was prefabricated in Germany, before being shipped to the U.S. for assembly.

  • Twisted Savonius wind turbine in operation@60rpm

    A vertical axis Twisted Savonius type turbine.

  • EERE illust large turbine

    Components of a horizontal-axis wind turbine

  • Badaia - Parque Eólico -BT- 01

    Nacelle of a wind turbine

  • Growing size of wind turbines

    Development in size and power of wind turbines, 1990-2016

  • Nordex Jonesboro Plant 001

    Nordex wind turbine manufacturing plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States

  • Lamma wind turbine

    The Nordex N50 wind turbine and visitor centre of Lamma Winds in Hong Kong, China

  • Quietrevolution Bristol 3513051949

    A small Quietrevolution QR5 Gorlov type vertical axis wind turbine in Bristol, England. Measuring 3 m in diameter and 5 m high, it has a nameplate rating of 6.5 kW to the grid.

  • Windkraftanlage Laasow

    Fuhrländer Wind Turbine Laasow, in Brandenburg, Germany, among the world's tallest wind turbines

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Turbina eólica para niños

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Wind turbine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.