Wind energy is empowering the world, as a cheap source of alternate energy. The wind is created by the uneven heating of the earth?s surface by sun. When this happens, the light-weight warm air just above the surface of the earth is replaced by the cool and heavier air above. This leads to the blowing of wind, causing it to rotate airfoil shaped blades of the turbine. The blades of the turbine are connected to a drive shaft that in turns rotates the electric generator to produce electricity.
Turbines are the most commonly used technology of wind energy production these days. Wind turbines are used in wind farms for commercial production of electric power. These wind turbines are usually three-bladed and pointed into the wind by computer-controlled motors. These have tip speeds of up to six times the wind speed, high efficiency, and low torque ripple, which contribute to good reliability.
Being a dynamic and growing sector, many new technologies have been introduced that has decreased the cost of producing electricity from wind. The wind sector is growing so rapidly that it has shown a growth more than fivefold globally between 2000 and 2007. As such, the wind power investment has also risen over the years.