Blades

The energy crisis caused a considerable growth of interest in alternative sources of energy in the past few years. Among the several energy sources being explored, wind energy which is a form of solar energy, become a significant energy source. If the efficiency of a windmill can be increased, then the dependency on expensive, polluting...

Read more

Anemometers

Anemometer A hemispherical cup anemometer of the type invented in 1846 by John Thomas Romney Robinson Cup-type anemometer with vertical axis, a sensor on a remote meteorological station deployed on Skagit Bay, Washington July–August, 2009. An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. The...

Read more

The Parts of a Windmill

The Parts of a Windmill     * Anemometer. This is essentially a speedometer for the windmill - a gauge to tell how fast the blades are rotating. Some more sophisticated systems have a feedback loop so the anemometer will "talk" to the control computer, regulating the blades' speed so damage won't occur.    ...

Read more

Basic AC Generator

Basic AC Generator The basic components and operation of an AC (Alternating Current) generator are shown here. Its operation applies the principle of electromagnetic induction as previously explained. In this case the moving permanent magnet is the armature and the stationary non-permanent magnet is the stator. In the graph the red...

Read more

Basic Generator Theory

Basic Generator TheoryThe generator creates electricity by a series of fine wire windings inside a magnetic field, called an armature. As the armature is spun inside this magnetic field by the generator's motor, current and voltage gets generated in those windings of wire and electricity is transferred. That current and voltage...

Read more

History of Windmills

History of Windmills-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IntroductionSince ancient times, man has harnessed the power of the wind to provide motive power for transportation. Likewise, the technique of grinding grain between stones to produce flour is similarly ancient, and widespread....

Read more