History of Wind Turbines
The first wind machines were used in Persia, as far back as 200 B.C for the purposes of grinding grain. By 250 A.D the Romans began to use the same process for the same purpose. The Dutch started using windmills to drain water from the areas lying in the Rhine River delta.
Windmills began to be used for the production of electricity in the year 1888, and the first such windmill, meaning the first wind turbine was built by Charles F Brush in Cleveland, Ohio. By the year 1908, some 72 wind turbines were being used to produce electricity between the ranges of 5 kilowatt to 25 kilowatt. Windmills to produce electricity were commonly found on farms by the 1930s in the Unites States.
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
The Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines or HAWT house an electric generator and the main rotator shaft at the top of a tower. Both need to be pointed into the wind, for generation of electricity. A wind vane is usually enough for this purpose in the case of small turbines, but in the case of large turbines, a servo motor coupled with a wind sensor is used to point into the wind. The rotation of the blades is controlled by a gearbox which increases the rotational speed of the blades as and when required.
The turbine is usually pointed in the upwind direction so as to protect it from the turbulence created by the tower. Many a time
Popularity: 5% [?]
