The technology behind wind energy

Global wind power generation It has grown significantly in recent years, with advances in technology making it possible to reduce the cost of wind-generated electricity. According to data from the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (Abeeólica), there are 919 wind farms currently operating and tested in Brazil, and this energy format is responsible for 13.1% of all electricity production in the country – second only to hydropower.

With the development of technology, wind energy has become one of the most widely used renewable energy sources in the world. To generate this type of energy, it is necessary to use rotor, propeller wind turbines, among other equipment.

TecMundo gathered information from experts to explain a little more about wind power generation. technology that converts wind into energy.

What is the technology behind wind energy?

Modern wind power is a direct evolution of windmills, which use propellers to capture the kinetic energy of the wind and convert it into mechanical energy, often used in machinery such as water pumps, grain mills, and electric generators.

There are currently two types of wind energy: on land and offshore. Land turbines are used in land parks located in areas that tend to receive heavy winds; offshore turbines are installed in parks in the middle of the ocean where the wind is steady and more regular.

The principle of wind energy is simple: The winds are responsible for turning the blades of turbines into a rotor that drives a generator and generates electrical energy. Thus, wind energy is converted into electricity by the aerodynamic force of the propellers on the rotor.

Either way, they’re created by those huge white “fans” called aerogenerators or wind turbines. These frameworks consist of five main parts:

• Basis – Before installing the wind turbine, the construction site has a concrete and steel foundation designed to allow the turbine to withstand even the strongest winds. It is not normally visible as it is built below ground level.
• Tower – The tower is one of the most important parts of the wind turbine as it is the structural part responsible for withstanding the force of the wind and the weight of other materials. They are usually made of steel pipe.
• nasel – Nacelle is a type of cabinet responsible for protecting the generator and other important components of the wind turbine such as gearboxes and control equipment. In some cases, they can weigh more than 100 tons – which is why the Tower is so important in the construction of a wind turbine.
• propellers – Propellers are responsible for capturing wind energy and normally wind turbines are made with two or three blades. Most knives are made of different lightweight materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber and laminated wood; longer blades capture more energy.
• Rotor – When the propellers start to spin around the rotor, it accelerates the rotation and transmits the mechanical energy to the generator, which converts it into electricity.
• multiplier box – As the name suggests, the function of this equipment is to reproduce the rotations that the blades transmit to the rotor.
• Generator – The generator is responsible for converting the mechanical energy produced by the turbine into electrical energy.
• Anemometer – Anemometer is equipment used to measure wind information along with details about density, speed and direction. The data is used to improve turbine positioning and provide better wind capture.

After the energy is produced, it will be transported to the medium voltage grid on the ground via power cables. It will then be collected by a substation and transmitted over long distances until it reaches the cities. While there, local distributors will drop the power voltage and stabilize it to distribute the voltage to the homes.

“A new era in falling fossil emissions means coal power will be phased out and gas power growth will come to an end. Change is coming fast. But it all depends on the measures taken now by governments, businesses and citizens to put the world on a clean energy path by 2040.” said Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, author of a study on wind energy.

One of the leading companies in the use of wind electricity in Brazil is Neoenergia, which already has 17 wind power parks in Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba. In total, the company produces 516 MW, which can power more than a million homes and reduce 830 thousand tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere.