Wind Turbine. Premium solutions to your bearing needs.
Wind turbines are a rapidly growing source of renewable energy provided by harnessing the kinetic power of wind. Wind turbines have a wide use; from commercial purposes such as heating and cooling, or powering traffic warning signs; to private use for battery charging for auxiliary power on caravans or boats; or large-scale wind farms that are used to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources for electrical powering. Compared with other energy sources, wind turbines have low greenhouse gas emissions, minimal social impacts, and lowest costs as a renewable energy technology on a large scale.
In terms of manufacturing and design, wind turbines can be designed with either a vertical- or horizontal-axis. Vertical-axis wind turbines can be advantageous when wind direction is highly variable as they are not required to face the direction of wind, and the gearbox and generator can be placed closer to the ground, enabling easier maintenance. However, they generally produce less energy averaged over time compared to horizontal-axis wind turbines, which need to face into the wind, and will have the main rotor shaft and generator at the top of the tower. Either axis type can be designed with blades (transparent or not), or bladeless, depending on the setting.
The key components of a wind turbine include: the rotor, where the blades convert wind energy, the generator, where the control electronics and gearbox are found, and the structural support, which will include a tower and rotor yaw mechanism. Polyester and epoxy resins are used for rotor blades, whereas glass and carbon fibres are often used as reinforcing materials.
As of 2016, the Australian wind industry was operating 79 wind farms, made up of 2106 turbines, and a combined capacity of 4327MW. That year, Australian wind farms produced approximately 5% of Australia’s overall electricity and ranked the country as 17th in the world for wind power. Wind turbines in Australia are on trend to be part of a growing industry in the future, providing employment opportunities and community projects.
