From The Workbench - Alternative + Renewable Energy Blog Valuable information for do-it-yourselfers interested in the latest in alternative + renewable energy

Hello and here’s hoping that you had an amazing weekend.  We’re back this fine Monday and starting right where we left off with Solar Energy, we’re here to help you answer all the tough questions when it comes to another form of alternative energy…Wind Energy.

Lucky for all of us, the brains behind the Northern Tool operation have graced us with their official Wind Energy guide, to accompany their amazing and in-depth Solar Energy Buyer’s Guide.  Both are packed full of amazingly helpful information that can get You on the right track towards converting your home, land and life into a wind energy powerhouse.  Between the sun and the wind, your entire life could be run by Mother Nature.  Let her foot the bill!

At any rate, for Part 1 of the Wind Energy Buyer’s Guide we are going to cover some basics.  In later Parts we will cover deeper areas of the alternative energy, but for now, here we go!

Wind Power + Wind Turbine Basics:
How does a wind turbine work?

As far back as 4000 years ago, the Babylonians and Chinese used wind power to pump water for crop irrigation. Obviously, technology has changed since then, but the wind power process is still the same. Most wind turbines are mounted on a tower at least 100 feet (30 meters) or more above the ground. In this way, the turbine can capture the faster, less turbulent winds. The power of the wind turns the turbine blades, which spin the shaft, which connect to a generator, which makes electricity. The electricity produced can provide power for a single home or outbuilding, or can connect to an electricity grid and be sold to a utility company for wider distribution.

Now that you know what it is, where it comes from, and the basics of how it works, tomorrow we’ll cover the different kinds of wind turbines you’ve probably seen around your state or country.