Sustainable Power Of The Wind

With so much talk about environmental damage, dwindling fossil fuels, and sky rocketing oil and energy prices it is now clear that we must look for alternative energy resources that will be able to supply our endless needs without the possibility of it being exhausted.

A Brief Lesson in History

A sustainable energy source since ancient times, the power of the wind has been harnessed by sailors, farmer, and architects alike. In times long gone, from 5,000 years ago and rediscovered again today the Egyptians used wind power to propel their sailing vessels, and Babylonian architects use architectural designs to make use of the wind to ventilate their palace and temple complexes.

As early as 300 B.C. the Sinhalese bygones used monsoon winds to power their furnaces. Constructed right where monsoon winds pass the furnaces were powered up to 1100 to 1200 centigrade. In the 1st century AD the first ever primitively built windmill was used to power an organ. Later during the 7th century the first and most primary windmill was built in Afghanistan in a small town called Sistan. The Windmill has a vertical axle with blades shaped like a rectangle and with a long driveshaft. In the 1100’s wind mills were built to grind flour, for sugar manufacturing and the gristmilling industries. The Dutch built windmills that stand until this day.

Beneath Power Is Wind

The Sun unevenly heats the Earth that differences of heat distribution; the poles receive less than the equators do. Unlike the land, the oceans, seas and rivers do not have covering so it retains more heat than soil. This contrast results in a global atmospheric convection that reaches from the stratosphere and into the earth’s surface. Energy in these wind movements are stored at high altitudes where in the wind can achieve speeds up to 160km/hr. Here after with the effects of friction the wind’s energy is diffused into heat throughout the planet and its atmosphere. This vast amount of sustainable power can provide us unimaginable amounts of energy, far more than we currently consume.

Wind Speed Distribution

Wind varies in strength.  The average value of a certain location does not specify the energy of a single wind turbine.  The wind speed’s frequency can be assessed in a particular location, they are fitted by a probable distribution function to the particular observed data.  Different wind distributions varies from different locations, hourly wind speeds at different locations are being monitored by the Rayleigh model, which basically means a continuous probability distribution which was named after Lord Rayleigh.

Electrical Generation

Using the power of electricity from a wind farm is usually fed through a network of electrical power transmissions.  This is done by connecting the individual turbines with a medium voltage power system and a series of communications networks.  The electrical current is then increased with a transformer to be able to connect to the high voltage transmitting system.  System operators supplies the wind farm owner with a code that indicates requirements  to be able to connect to the transmission grid which includes the power factor, the constancy of the frequency and the behavior of the wind turbines when experiencing system faults.

Now that we know that the speed of wind is not constant, a farm’s energy production is not as much as the sum of the nameplate rating being multiplied by the year’s total hours being used.  The ratio of this productivity in a whole year is called the capacity factor. This is the ratio of productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum.

People spend roughly 90% of their time indoors. When they live and work around off-gassing chemicals from synthetic fabrics, plastics, fragrances, and other man-made materials, they can become ill in a variety of ways — fatigue, muscle and joint pain, confusion, even mood changes.

Reducing chemicals in your personal environment is good for you and the rest of the planet…

Of course, most everyone wants to lower their carbon footprint and help the environment be healthier but if you can save money doing it, then you have the best of both worlds.  Luckily, there are many ways to go green and save some green at the same time.  Here are 5 things you can do that will help boost your bank account and the environment:

1.    Buy Second Hand – most people don’t think of buying second hand stuff as being environmentally consciences but when you buy something second hand it helps to keep that item from ending up in a landfill.  Not only that but buying second hand can save you a bundle!  Plus buying something used doesn’t mean you have to settle for something that is broken or damaged – there are plenty of brand new items waiting for you to pick them up.  Great places to shop for second hand goods include eBay, Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets and Consignment stores.
2.    Energy Efficient Lighting – Swapping your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting might cost a bit at first, but it can save you a bundle in the long run in energy costs.  In fact, fluorescent lights use 1/3 the energy that incandescent do and, since lighting is typically one of the largest energy uses in any home, this could save you 25% or more on your bill.  Not only that but compact fluorescent lights last 10 times longer so you won’t have to buy them nearly as often.  Want even more savings?  Then seek out the new LED lighting – they are more efficient and the lighting itself is much better then the fluorescents.
3.    Save On Paper Towels – If you’re anything like me, you probably use a ton of paper towels in the kitchen.  They’re great for wiping up spills, drying off  your hands and putting food on but what do you think happens with them once you are don?  Right – they end up in the landfill!  You can reduce your costs for paper towels and lighten the load on the landfills by using cloth kitchen towels instead.  Invest in a bunch of them and make sure they are handing for wiping up.  You’ll be amazed at how few paper towels you really need!
4.    Eat More Veggies – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat is better for your health, but did you realize that it’s also better for the environment?  Yes, it’s true, raising cattle takes a huge toll on the environment.  Plus beef costs more than vegetables so why not help your health and the environment by replacing a few of your meaty meals with vegetarian choices?
5.    Conserve Water – There are many options in faucets today that will help you conserve water which, of course help the environment and saves you on your water bill. You can get low flow facets and smart faucets that will automatically shut off after a certain amount of time or sense when something is under it – turn the water on and then sense when nothing is under it and turn the water off.