Jenney Pan asked:

What Is Wind Energy

What is wind energy? Wind is simply air in motion. Sun’s rays falling on an object heat it up; land heats up faster (and it cools also faster), water heats up slower (and is slower in cooling). Naturally there will be uneven heating of the earth’s surface. During the day, land heats up and the warm air over the land gets lighter and rises up; cooler air from adjoining areas rushes in to take its place, creating breeze or wind.

So what is this about wind energy? In an elementary sense, we can say that an object represents two kinds of energy, potential energy – energy attained by it due to its position – and kinetic energy – energy due to its speed of movement. A body may possess one or both forms of energy. All moving objects represent stored kinetic energy just as an object at a height represents stored potential energy. The wind, a body of air, also represents kinetic energy. It is this wind energy that helps when you sail boats.

How Wind Energy Works

In the old fashioned windmill, wind – the stream of moving air – impinges on the blades of the windmill and causes them to rotate by “pushing” against them; in this process the wind passes part of its kinetic energy to the blades of the windmill and slows down due to loss of part of its energy. The windmill uses the wind energy acquired in this manner in doing the work of pumping water or grinding grains.

Today’s wind mill blades are designed far better so that they are able to extract energy out of the wind (or breeze) blowing over it more efficiently. It is natural that blades of a wind mill designed to produce a large amount of power are large. Windmills with blades measuring about a hundred or two hundred feet across are not uncommon.

Wind Mills And Their Locations

Most of the present day wind mills are the horizontal axis type and they look like huge airplane propellers mounted on a tall tower. The high power machines have blades with very large span and their mounting towers also are very tall; a typical wind machine of this type could be about 250 feet tall with three-bladed propellers about 200 feet across. The turbine shaft is horizontal and quite short. In case of small capacity machines the generator is mounted directly on the turbine shaft; in case of higher capacity machines the turbine shaft drives generator through gears so as to increase the speed of the generator. The electrical cables run down along the tower for delivering power.

Small wind machines for use with single homes or businesses are about 100 kW or less in power; large turbines for commercial use may be with capacities of 5 MW or more. High power installations for delivering wind energy to utility grid or network have a number of wind mills grouped together as wind mill farms.

For efficient operation a wind mill should be situated where the average wind speed is not less than 10 miles per hour. Due to the necessity of the high towers and large sweep of blades necessary, generally wind mills for power applications will not be set up in areas of less than an acre.

Power plants for converting wind energy are generally situated far away from cities. They are set up where wind speed will be high, where obstructions to wind will be less and where seasonal variations will be less. Generally wind speeds are higher at higher altitudes and in open areas. Smooth rounded hills, open plains and shorelines are good sites for wind mills. Mountain gaps are also suitable because they cause wind funneling increasing the speed of wind.

Water 4 Gas

Madison Greene asked:

With a new emphasis on alternative energy, it is no wonder people all over are starting to use the benefits of solar power. It is certainly an everlasting energy source, as long as there is the sun, there will be available solar power.

One advantage of this alternative power is that it is a very available energy source for electricity. However, there are also some disadvantages to solar energy that you should be aware of.

It’s best to research all of the advantages and disadvantages of solar power before you actually have a system installed on your home. If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then you’ll know that setting up your home for solar enerfgy is the right decision for you.

The Short-term Cost of Solar Energy: A Disadvantage

The sun’s rays are free, they beat down naturally on earth, however, it costs a lot of money to actually set up solar cells and other solar equipment on your home. Just the equipment to power a pool can cost thousands of dollars. It is very important that you diligently research all costs associated with powering any part of your home before you do it.

More on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Solar Power – Revealed

Madison Greene asked:

Like most people you probably know that now more than ever we need to find alternative energy sources. Solar, nuclear and wind power are all viable options, but solar power is the most popular alternate energy source for residential homes.

Beyond knowing that it turns the sun’s rays into electricity, do you really know how it all works? If you’re interested in learning more about solar energy and are considering having it installed in your home, call a company that sets up solar panels start asking them questions.

You can also use the internet to research what solar energy is, find out how much it costs, the pros and cons of having it and you can even learn how it all works. If after learning what solar power is all about, and you decide that it’s for you, start pricing around and set up your home for solar capabilities so that you never have to pay another dime to the electric companies.

More on What Is Solar Power? Knowing Could Save You Money

Anna Hart asked:

Solar energy facts for kids in New Zealand are considered unnecessary by some. When winter hovers over New Zealand, it may seem that day after day is cloudy and grey – especially in some parts of New Zealand. On such days, it is difficult to imagine that solar energy could supply enough electricity for a New Zealand home. Most areas of New Zealand, however, have plenty of solar energy that can be harnessed.

Solar energy can be calculated with a map such as the one on the Sun Wize website. This is called a world solar insolation map. “Insolation” means it is exposed to the sun’s rays. The map shows how many hours of each day a country is exposed to the sun’s rays – in the worst month of the year. In other words, the map shows how much solar energy the country gets each day.

When you find New Zealand on a world solar insolation map, you will see that most of the country gets between 3 and 5 hours of solar energy each day. Remember that 3 to 5 hours is the amount of solar energy in the worst month! On average, counting good and bad days, New Zealand gets approximately 2000 hours of bright sunshine each year.

Solar Energy Facts for Kids

Solar energy facts for kids might include many things, depending on the age of the children involved. A small child of 6 years might understand only simple concepts such as the heat generated by solar energy. Older children of 14 to 17 can grasp the technology of solar panels and generators, and how they convert solar energy to electrical power.

More on Solar Energy Facts For Kids In New Zealand

Atila Alacan asked:


Solar energy is a natural source of energy that comes directly from the sun. When solar energy hits the earth it spreads over the earth’s surface and provides warmth evenly. If you could capture the sun’s rays into a particular area for a long period of time it would provide enough warmth for nighttime or on cloudy days. Learning where to find solar energy can help you to get started today. Solar energy does not cost anything because it comes from the sun. The source that you choose may cost some but in the long run it should be your only expense, unlike gas or oil heaters that you continue to pay for monthly in order to have power or gas heat in your home. Solar power can provide heating, cooling and ventilation.

If you want to make your own solar power to capture the energy for heating its easy to do if you can find a solar collector, which is anything that attracts the heat from the sun in a concentrated amount, such as glass or clear plastic. Getting into your car that has sat out in the hot sun all day long can be extremely hot and you have to roll down your windows to cool it off inside. That is because the glass has attracted the sun and the objects in your car, including your seats, have trapped the heat not allowing it to escape. When you roll your windows down you are allowing the heat to escape causing your car to cool down. The same thing is true about greenhouses. The glass or clear plastic can attract the sun and not allow it to escape causing the greenhouse to maintain the heat for the plants to grow effectively.

In order to heat your home using solar energy, you need to know the information on a passive and an active home. These two types of solar homes offer the homeowner options to choose from and your cost of heating may be down. Solar energy does not only heat your home but it also heats your water and if you use solar energy lights it can light your home at night.

Passive homes do not use any equipment to heat the home. Passive homes use windows that are made to allow the maximum amount of sunlight into your home. The sunlight is controlled by keeping the doors closed in the hottest part of the day not allowing any heat to escape. At night thick curtains may be used on these windows so that the warmth stays inside during the night. This allows the sun to naturally heat your home without any help.

Active homes do use equipment to help circulate the heat in the home. Some of the equipment that may be used includes pumps, blowers and an alternative heating source in case the sunlight was not enough during the daytime. In order to heat the home with sunlight these homes use special boxes on the outside that attract the sunrays to it. They are made from a dark colored metal to help attract the sun more. The water or air that is carried in the pipes and ductwork is heated by this glass box that has captured the sunlight. Then the heated water or air is then carried to the rest of the home.

In the long run, solar energy helps to heat the home naturally and without depending on a company to supply it for you. Solar energy can be found anywhere the sun is.

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