Wind Farm Efficiency
Wind power is an incredibly clean renewable power source. To capture the energy in wind, wind farms are used. So, how about wind farm efficiency?
Wind Farm Efficiency
Wind power is the process by which wind is used to generate power or electricity. The power of the wind is actually a form of solar power – wind change and variability is caused by uneven heating of the ground by the sun. In order to fully use the power that the wind is capable of generating, many countries have set up wind farms. In a wind farm, many different wind turbines (a structure that uses a propeller-like blade to take in the wind's power) are set up in an area. With all the wind turbines working at the same time, it's thought that these farms are a great way to produce large amounts of electricity.
To determine the efficiency of wind farms, you need to know how a wind farm works. The wind turbines collect the power of the wind in two steps: the propeller blades are turned by the gusts of wind, and the propeller then turns a shaft. This turning shaft is connected to a generator. The spinning action cranks the generator, which then produces electricity. The process is exactly like hydropower, but with wind acting as the energy source instead of flowing water. Just one wind turbine set up in an area will not produce very much electricity, and is not very good for powering large areas - these small turbines are usually used to power just one farm or house or occasionally to pump water.
Wind farms, on the other hand, are more powerful because there is a large grouping of the wind turbines in one area, all working in unison to produce electricity. The energy can then be run to whole communities through existing utility grids or stored in battery-like storage cells. Wind turbines can be set up to face the wind or face away from the wind. Modern wind turbines can also turn to catch the wind as it gusts from different angles, a factor which makes them far more efficient than before. The larger the turbine's blades and the taller the turbine's height will increase the efficiency as well.
The exact efficiency of wind farms is nearly impossible to pinpoint. The problem is found in the factors that go into the analysis. The terrain, amount of wind, size of turbines and so on varies from wind farm to farm. There is no constant, which makes it difficult to nail down general efficiency ratings. In general, a single wind turbine will convert about 20 percent of the energy in wind to electricity. The most efficient production occurs between five and 20 miles an hour of wind speed. This general 20 percent efficiency rating is roughly seven to five percent more efficient than solar power, but sunlight is constant whereas wind is not.
While wind technology has not yet progressed to a point where no energy is lost while harnessing it, it is fair to say that the platform is favorable compared to other renewable sources. It may take a while for the whole world to catch on to using the power of the wind, but it's definitely fast becoming an important alternative energy source. Countries such as Germany are certainly investing a lot into the platform.
Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com. Visit us for more wind farm articles.
Bio Pyramid
In the ongoing energy debate, biomass energy is getting a lot of play among politicians. To understand the concept, it first helps to understand the bio pyramid.
Bio Pyramid
All of the organisms in the world follow orders of classification. Whether you choose to put them into groups of plants and animals, herbivores and carnivores, or any other of the many different types of classification systems, organisms can be put into many groups in order to understand their relationship to one another. One way to classify organisms is to put them into their order, or hierarchy, in the food chain. In this way, we can see how animals and other organisms relate to each other based on what they consume.
There are several different ways to look at the food chain, and one important and useful tool in this area is the bio pyramid. A bio pyramid is a graphical chart that shows the comparative mass of the consumers to the producers in the food chain. This can be helpful in determining how energy is transferred to the top levels of the pyramid from the bottom levels.
Each level in a bio pyramid is composed of a trophic level. Trophic levels are groupings of different "consumer" groups, such as primary producers (usually just plants or other photosynthetic organisms) rising all the way up to carnivores (such as humans). While a typical biological pyramid might group these consumers in order of energy produced, a bio pyramid shows them in order of total mass from highest to lowest. This often means that the primary consumers, such as the plants, are at the bottom because they are more numerous and take up more mass. The levels are built upon then by how many upper level organisms could survive based on the level below. An example can be seen in this sea bio pyramid:
It would take 1,000,000 kg of phytoplankton (1st level), to feed 100,000 kg of zooplankton (2nd level), to feed 10,000 kg of shrimp (3rd level), to finally feed 1,000 kg of large fish. The final level, the 5th, would only be able to have 100 kg of shark supported by the levels below.
In this way, a bio pyramid shows the inefficiency of the food chain, and lets researchers know that if a level was able to be skipped (such as a shark dipping down and eating shrimp instead of fish), more energy would be conserved and the food chain would lose less energy along the way. Given this fact, a bio pyramid is an important tool when looking at the laws of conservation of energy among different classes of organisms.
Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com. Visit us for more biomass energy articles.
Parabolic Solar Oven
Mention solar power to someone and they immediately think of solar panels. A parabolic solar oven, however, has a much more practical use when it comes to feeding ourselves.
Parabolic Solar Oven
While searching for ways to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources, you might encounter solar power. Solar power, or solar energy, is the use of the sun's rays to either create energy (electricity), charge a battery, heat water or other fluids, passively heat homes through glass windows, or even cook foods. When solar power is used to cook food it's often in the form of a solar oven, which can be used in place of firewood and other fuels in order to cook meals. One popular type of solar oven is the parabolic solar oven, used over others for many reasons.
A parabolic solar oven collects the sun's rays by using a reflective surface in a parabola, or curved shape. There are many different styles of parabolic solar ovens available, and there are instructions available to create most of them. The parabolic style allows for food to cook at much the same rate as a conventional oven, making it more convenient than other outdoor cooking methods such as campfires. Additionally, since the parabolic solar oven doesn't use wood or other fuel, it's quicker to start cooking and requires little time to set up - whereas with a campfire, you've got to spend time hunting for firewood, as well as lighting the fire and waiting for it to get hot.
One easy way to start building your own parabolic solar oven is by using a ready-made satellite dish (of course, use one that someone has discarded). Its parabolic shape is perfect for creating the oven, and all you need to do is coat the inside with a reflective substance, such as a mirror finish reflective aluminum sheet. Other people prefer to start their parabolic solar oven with more of a bowl shape, as they believe this allows food inside to cook better and helps to shelter the food from the wind.
Once you have the parabolic solar oven, you need to consider the cooking pot. The pot needs to be of a dark color. It also needs to be placed in the correct position. The parabolic solar oven should be oriented to the sun. The pot should then be placed on a small stand so that it sits at the point of focus for the oven. If you imagine a magnifying glass, the pot should be located where the glass focuses its beam. Once in position, the oven should work for 60 to 90 minutes. If the food is not cooked by then or another pot needs heating, the oven should be readjusted to the orientation of the sun.
When using your parabolic solar oven, be sure to always wear UV (ultraviolet) protective sunglasses that are darkly tinted. The reflection off the aluminum that helps to cook the food at a quick rate also can burn your retinas quite easily. You'll also want to make sure to cover your parabolic solar oven whenever it's not in use - this will prevent accidental flashes of light from blinding people as well as prevent the oven from heating up when it's not needed. If you follow these simple steps, having your own parabolic solar cooker can be a great asset to your environmentally conscious lifestyle.
Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies.
