What factors affect the output of wind turbines?
Posted in Energy Industry | Wind Power | Wind Turbines
Wind energy is undoubtedly one of the cleanest forms of producing power from a renewable source. There is no pollution, there is no burning of fossil fuels, and unless something very drastic happens, you don’t run out of wind. But it’s not like you can erect a wind turbine anywhere and it will start generating power for you. There are lots of factors that can make an impact on the amount of energy you can generate out of wind.
Wind
It being a wind turbine, its output first most depends on the wind. Both the speed and force of the wind can be deciding factors. The more wind speed and force you have got, the greater is the amount of power your wind turbine generates. Different regions have different wind speeds. You can gather the available wind dynamics data and using a model like Webull Distribution you can calculate how effective the wind of a particular region is going to be.
Height
Places of higher altitudes have more wind due to various atmospheric factors. Besides, at higher places there is less obstruction from the surrounding hills, trees and building. In fact the height is so important that alternative energy scientists and engineers are trying to use kites (due to the heights they can easily reach) to tap the wind power.
Rotor
The amount of energy produced by your wind turbine is proportional to the size of the rotor used, when all other factors have been taken into consideration. A bigger rotor certainly generates more power. Although it may cost more, in the long run, whenever you are getting a wind turbine erected, go for a big a rotor as possible.