Wind Turbine Parts
Here's a brief guide to parts of your wind turbine
Blades
Your technician might call this your airfoil. The turbine blades come in two basic types. The most widely used is:
- the lifting style wind turbine blade. These are the most efficiently designed, especially for capturing energy of strong, fast winds. Some European companies actually manufacture a single blade turbine.
- the drag style wind turbine blade, most popularly used for water mills, as seen in the old Dutch windmills. The blades are flattened plates which catch the wind. These are poorly designed for capturing the energy of heightened winds.
The rotor is designed aerodynamically to capture the maximum surface area of wind in order to spin the most ergonomically. The blades are lightweight, durable and corrosion-resistant material. The best materials are composites of fiberglass and reinforced plastic.
A gear box magnifies or amplifies the energy output of the rotor. The gear box is situated directly between the rotor and the generator.
A rotor rotates the generator (which is protected by a nacelle), as directed by the tailvane.
The generator produces electricity from the rotation of the rotor. Generators come in various sizes, relative to the output you wish to generate.
The nacelle is the housing or enclosure that seals and protects the generator and gear box from the elements. It is easily removed for maintenance of the wind
The tailvane directs the turbine to gather maximum wind energy.
We also have details abut wind towers.
