A wind turbine generates kinetic energy through wind velocity and converts it to electricity compatible with a home’s electrical system. Windmills work by slowing down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, similar to the effect on the wings of airplanes, which causes them to turn. The blades are connected to drive a shaft, which turns the electric generator to produce electricity.In a normal residential application, the wind turbine, and an additional traditional supply source (Typically ESB) serve a home simultaneously. If the wind speeds are below cut-in speed (7-10 mph) there will be no output from the turbine and all of the needed power is purchased from the traditional supply source. As wind speeds increase, turbine output increases and the amount of power purchased from the traditional supply source is reduced.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Commercial Wind Power Generation

Advantages:

• Wind energy is friendly to the surrounding environment, as no fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity from wind energy.
• Wind turbines take up less space than the average power station. Windmills only have to occupy a few square meters for the base, this allows the land around the turbine to be used for many purposes, for example agriculture.
• Newer technologies are making the extraction of wind energy much more efficient. The wind is free, and we are able to cash in on this free source of energy.
• Wind turbines are a great resource to generate energy in remote locations, such as mountain communities and remote countryside. Wind turbines can be a range of different sizes in order to support varying population levels.
• Another advantage of wind energy is that when combined with solar electricity, this energy source is great for developed and developing countries to provide a steady, reliable supply of electricity.

Disadvantages:

• The main disadvantage of wind power is down to the winds unreliability factor. In many areas, the winds strength is too low to support a wind turbine or wind farm, and this is where the use of solar power or geothermal power could be great alternatives.
• Wind turbines generally produce allot less electricity than the average fossil fuelled power station, requiring multiple wind turbines to be built in order to make an impact.
• Wind turbine construction can be very expensive and costly to surrounding wildlife during the build process.
• The noise pollution from commercial wind turbines is sometimes similar to a small jet engine. This is fine if you live miles away, where you will hardly notice the noise, but what if you live within a few hundred meters of a turbine? This is a major disadvantage.
• Protests and/or petitions usually confront any proposed wind farm development. People feel the countryside should be left in tact for everyone to enjoy it’s beauty.