With the new addition of Wind Turbine Cables to our product line, it’s time to take a look at how wind power is generated. Let’s start with a quick science lesson.
What Causes Wind?
The wind is caused by differences in the atmosphere. The atmosphere's temperature varies across the globe because the sun's rays don't reach it uniformly due to the Earth's rotation and uneven topography. Since we have no control of starting or stopping the wind, harnessing its power gives a truly renewable, infinite resource.
Wind turbines are constructed from a few basic components, as seen in the photo above: blades (1), tower (2), yaw drive and motor (3), and the nacelle(10), which houses the brake (4), low-speed shaft (5), gearbox (6), generator (7), high-speed shaft (8) and controller (9). Of course, running down the tower and throughout the nacelle are all the various Wind Turbine Cables you get from your friends at Allied!
How Do Wind Turbines Work?
The wind turns the blades of the turbine, which then set into motion the internal machinery of the turbine. The energy of the turning blades forces the low-speed shaft to turn, which causes the gears to turn at a higher speed.
It is this kinetic energy of the high-speed gears that powers up the generator. The energy produced inside the generator can either be stored in a battery or run down the tower of the turbine through cables (again, from Allied!) and to a local power grid.
There are a lot more physics and mechanics that go into it, but that's the short answer to how wind turbines work! To learn more about the Wind Turbine cable Allied Wire and Cable carries, view our catalog here.