How Much Electricity Does a Wind Turbine Generate?

A wind turbine generator is basically a mechanical electrical machine that converts the kinetic energy of the wind into the required rotational mechanical energy with the use of turbine blades that is needed to produce free electrical energy.

Turbine generators for home use can generate many kilowatts of free electricity and are a popular choice for remote farms, houses and log cabins which have no reasonable access to mains electricity but are in areas with a good amount of wind speed.

So what are the main advantages of using a wind turbine generator?

They are environmentally friendly as they do not emit any harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere or leave any potential harmful residues.
They do not consume any non-renewable fossil fuels to produce the electricity, thereby helping the environment.
Wind turbine generators are classed as an alternative energy source saving on conventional electrical power generation.
Although the initial purchase and installation costs of your wind turbine generator may be high, the savings made in generating your own electricity will offset this cost, so you could be getting your electricity free for many years to come.
Turbine generators give you independence by doing away with paying the utility companies for your electricity, and with a turbine generator on your own land, you have your very own power generating plant.
Generating your own power could be as easy as installing a suitable wind turbine generator and using the power from the wind to lower your monthly bills. Wind turbine design and generator technology has come a long way over the last few years as more and more companies jump onto the renewable energy bandwagon. Today complete wind turbine systems and DIY kits are available for the homeowner with turbines that are more efficient, smaller and quieter than ever before.

Most modern "wind turbine generators" are available locally or online in a large variety of different sizes and power ratings to suit any homeowners needs. Although turbine generators are based mainly on well established motor-generator designs which have been successfully used for many decades, the newer generator designs are much more energy efficient and as such include many new improvements.

In the past, to have a home wind turbine system, most homeowners needed a lot of free space on their property which was completely open and exposed to provide a strong enough and consistent amount of wind to rotate the larger heavier blades of the traditional wind turbine.

Back then wind energy was a relatively new, so the old style electrical generators used for many domestic installations were nothing more than scaled-down versions of the larger commercial motor-generators. But these were not very well suited to smaller domestic type installations.

To begin with, these early generators required very strong winds to help start the blades rotating, the result was they needed to be fixed and mounted on the ends of tall poles high up above the ground to be able to catch the stronger winds. These generators were themselves very heavy, so they needed to be positioned into the oncoming wind before they would started rotating and generating electricity.

This positioning and orientation into the oncoming wind was achieved by using a large tail fin positioned directly behind the generator. As a result of their heavy weight, it required a strong enough amount of wind to rotate it into the required position. Then this meant that most of the time they would miss most of the smaller lighter winds and not position themselves correctly. Although these were very good at turning these stronger winds into huge amounts of electrical power, most residential and domestic locations are not normally favourable to these strong winds.

However, a couple of decades ago, smaller modern generator designs began to start to become available on the marketplace that would take fuller advantage of not only the stronger winds but the much lighter winds as well found in most residential locations. These newer wind turbine generators could rotate at much lower speeds than the older generators and because these were lighter and better balanced, they could even orientate themselves into position much quicker without the need of large heavy tail fins.

Some newer vertical axis turbine designs are even capable of catching and using a light breeze aimed at it from any one direction. These newer more innovative turbine designs make for a perfect turbine generator for use in the home, boat or recreational vehicle, and for the homeowner they are actually a lot less expensive to run than the electrical power which they generate.

The modern wind turbine generator available today is designed to be installed and used in most residential type installations. So they are manufactured smaller and more lightweight allowing them to be quickly and easily mounted directly onto a roof or onto a short pole or tower. Installing a newer turbine generator as part of your home wind power system will allow you to reduce most of the higher costs of maintaining and installing a taller and more expensive turbine tower as you would have before in the past.

Also, although these newer generator designs would generate less power when turning compared to their larger and older cousins of the past, for sure they will be rotating more often and therefore can generate the same amounts of free electricity over a period of time. The result is that these improved wind turbine designs will actually give a more consistent and reliable amount of electrical energy from your wind energy system.

As these newer "wind turbine generator" designs are quieter and less obtrusive, there may be lesser complaints from your neighbours about your wind energy system. Then you can relax in the knowledge that your wind turbine generator will still keep delivering free power from any passing breeze or strong wind for many years to come.

How Electrical Engineering Continues to Change the World

Electrical engineering may seem like a boring profession, especially if the first person that comes to mind is the public utility repairman who fixed the neighborhood power grid. Contrary to popular belief, a degree in electrical engineering leads to career opportunities bigger than that. Behind some of the latest and greatest innovations is a workforce that is well-versed on the subject.

Cellular Telecommunications

A few decades ago, the first publicly available handheld phones were bulky and with bad reception. By the 90's and with thanks to the electrical engineering developments towards GSM technologies, mobile phones soon did more than just make and receive calls. Today, it has become a race to the smallest, most multi-functional mobile phone. Headway in electrical engineering and the subsequent circulation of the science means more companies need creative individuals. And this is just to keep up with the competition. That's not even taking into account the perks of such a world-changing occupation.

Computer Electronics
The boost in the mobile world is owed largely to the impressive breakthroughs in computer technology. These original steps forward are owed to the electrical engineering concepts behind them. Even now, electrical engineering knowhow is necessary in order to come up with devices that get continually more complex as its operation becomes simpler. Before the software developers came up with the applications that make our lives easier, someone made the increasingly sophisticated networks and computers that they are stored in. Whose midnight oil do you think was burned to make the hardware and software giants the successes that they are?

Space Exploration

Rocket science may have been ultimately responsible for putting a man on the moon. Yet it was the resolve and commitment of electrical engineering professionals that made it possible to see three-dimensional renditions of the planet Mars. It is their skills that are put to the test when equipment stop functioning or have new requirements. They continue to challenge the existing limitations by changing how we view them and the world in general. This makes them the best bet towards future journeys outside our solar system.

Become An In-demand Electrical Engineering Technician In Two Years

There is currently a technical skills shortage looming both regionally and nationally in Canada's Electrical Engineering Technician field. As such, Centennial Colleges Electrical Engineering Technician offering gets students into the field in just two years to fill these technical positions as the manufacturing sector becomes more specialized, the construction industry flourishes and retirement rates increase.

But what exactly is the job of the Electrical Engineering Technician and how do you know if the field is for you? First and foremost, areas that fall under this umbrella include: power distribution and utilization, electrical power generation, transmission, and protection; industrial telecommunications, electrical maintenance and installation, control systems, services, sales, design and repair. All of these areas should interest you if you are to succeed in this field. Secondly, you must be comfortable with working in a range of employment settings in commercial, utility and industries using electrical technology as these are all areas of concern for the Electrical Engineering Technician.

Centennial College prepares students for the Electrical Engineering Technician field by exposing them to SETAS labs that provide extensive practice and ample opportunity to develop skills required to assume entry level positions in the industry. These labs play an important role as students obtain thorough grounding in electrical engineering sciences and skills, including electrical circuits, maintenance of electrical instruments or devices, operation of electrical motors and power transmission as used in the industry. In addition to the practical lab approach, the Electrical Engineering courses also weave in a project approach that simulates actual workplace assignments and allows students to gain experience in producing electrical drawings as well as diagnostics and analysis of electrical systems.

Specific Electrical Engineering courses in the Electrical Engineering Technician offering include: Canadian Electrical Code and Drawing Interpretation, Electrical Theory and Installations, Electronics, Ethics in Technology and the Environment, Fluid Power - Hydraulics, Monitoring Systems as well as Mathematics (covers calculations with approximate numbers, rules for exponents, simplifying algebraic expressions, graphing functions and solving linear and quadratic equations as well as systems of equations); and Ethics in Technology and Environment (provides students with an understanding of the impact of technology on society and the environment by examining ethical issues governing social, technological and environmental policies, and the impact of their implementation).

The final step students take in this Electrical Engineering Technician course is completing a final semester Electrical Engineering Technician Capstone Project course. This offering is an opportunity for students to gain real life experience and apply everything they have learned in the program by working on a project that serves as the final component of the diploma program.

Those interested in attending Electrical Engineering courses must have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older). They must also have the compulsory English 12C or U credit, or skills assessment, or equivalent; and the Math 11M or U, or 12C or U credit, or skills assessment, or equivalent.

Layout Of The Domestic Electrical Network

The job of an electrician is to install, maintain and basic repair of the domestic electrical network. Duties also include solving simple industrial electrical problems in business areas like offices and factories. For more complex work, however, like repairing electrical transformers, the services of an electrical engineer are required. For more specialized work, professionals from the field of control systems, instrumentation and automation may be required.

The electrician is required to work on the domestic or home electrical system. The system is made up of the electrical service- the electricity supplied to the home-lighting and a number of other electrical appliances. The electrical service must cater to the persons who inhabit the house and range of 100 amps and 400 amps. The job of an electrician is to install the service and also the installation of telephone and cable television wires and sometimes, security systems.

An electrical engineer supervises lying in the electrical lines and maintenance of the civic electricity network. The engineers work related jurisdiction stops at the meter box outside the home. The line continues from the meter box through the exterior wall and directly goes to the electric panel board. The board has switches-also known as breakers- that controls the electricity in each room of the home. The amps are divided up across circuits to provide different areas of the home with electricity. For example, in a 100 amps home, the living room may have 30 amps, the bedroom 10 amps and it continues like this.

A power systems engineer conforms to the electrical system to a code that protects the inhabitants of the home. The list of safety measures includes circuit breakers that prevent fires by cutting off the supply of electricity to a specific area if the wires short out. High moisture areas may necessitate the need for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters or GFCI. This includes areas like washrooms, kitchens and garages. Common areas may be fitted with smoke alarms that are connected to the electrical system and alert occupants in case of a fire.

An electrical engineer is bound by national building codes. To quote, electrical codes in particular areas need wiring to be encased in flexible metal casing as an additional fire prevention measure. It is the duty of the engineer to check the installation when the system is being wired and again when the home is finished. He or she ensures that all codes are followed and the electrical system is safe for people to move in. For particular needs like an entertainment complex, advanced wiring systems are included.

Control systems enable the house owner to minimize electricity related expenses. The system enables the user to remotely control the heating, cooling and ventilation equipment. Lighting can be controlled even when the occupants of the building are away. An electrical engineer selects the location of electrical outlets after much deliberation. It is to be remembered that once they are put in, they cannot be changed easily. The house owner must understand the best options available to him and choose accordingly.