By: Rachel Tanis
On a recent road trip, I came across endless fields dotted with the tall, slender, beautiful windmills. The sight went on for miles and miles. Really something to see all on their own, the windmills are both powerful and aesthetically pleasing. It seems that this current movement for a greener earth could be very long-lasting since our attempts to become more energy-efficient haven’t compromised appearances. (Have you read my post about my love-affair with the sleek, sexy Volt?) What makes the windmills sexy is that they are more than tall works of art; they are strong, powerful, green energy-generators.
Commercial-grade windmills, like the ones dotting the farm fields of mid-Michigan, have an incredible capacity, producing up to 450 MW (megawatts). They are also massive: measuring 80 meters (nearly 263 feet) tall, with a rotor diameter of 88 meters (almost 289 feet). Click here for drawings of windmills. Other windmills, rated “residential” and “medium” can produce varying amounts of electricity. Since wind doesn’t blow all of the time, maximum capacity is rarely reached. In fact, windmills usually operate at about 25 – 40% of their abilities. Check the facts here.
Energyvortex.com says that a kilowatt-hour of energy costs American consumers anywhere from two to twenty cents, depending upon various factors like where they live. A kilowatt-hour of energy can operate “a 40-watt lightbulb for a full day, a 19” color television for about four hours, a personal computer for about 2 ½ hours, an electric hairdryer for 30 to 60 minutes, an electric razor for 36 hours, a clothes dryer for 15 minutes, a micro-furnace heater for 40 minutes, a clock radio for up to several days, a portable stereo for as long as a week, and a telephone answering machine for as long as month.” If one kilowatt can do all of that, imagine the possibilities one megawatt (let alone 450 of them) can do! Talk about energy savings!
Wind Energy Words to Know:
Kilowatt: A kilowatt is approximately equal to 1.34 horsepower.
Megawatt: 1,000 kilowatts or to put things in perspective, remember that the energy in a lightening strike is measured in megawatts!
Rotor: the windmill’s rotor is the part that a layman might describe as the “blades,” or the spinning part.
Commercial-grade windmills, like the ones dotting the farm fields of mid-Michigan, have an incredible capacity, producing up to 450 MW (megawatts). They are also massive: measuring 80 meters (nearly 263 feet) tall, with a rotor diameter of 88 meters (almost 289 feet). Click here for drawings of windmills. Other windmills, rated “residential” and “medium” can produce varying amounts of electricity. Since wind doesn’t blow all of the time, maximum capacity is rarely reached. In fact, windmills usually operate at about 25 – 40% of their abilities. Check the facts here.
Energyvortex.com says that a kilowatt-hour of energy costs American consumers anywhere from two to twenty cents, depending upon various factors like where they live. A kilowatt-hour of energy can operate “a 40-watt lightbulb for a full day, a 19” color television for about four hours, a personal computer for about 2 ½ hours, an electric hairdryer for 30 to 60 minutes, an electric razor for 36 hours, a clothes dryer for 15 minutes, a micro-furnace heater for 40 minutes, a clock radio for up to several days, a portable stereo for as long as a week, and a telephone answering machine for as long as month.” If one kilowatt can do all of that, imagine the possibilities one megawatt (let alone 450 of them) can do! Talk about energy savings!
Wind Energy Words to Know:Kilowatt: A kilowatt is approximately equal to 1.34 horsepower.
Megawatt: 1,000 kilowatts or to put things in perspective, remember that the energy in a lightening strike is measured in megawatts!
Rotor: the windmill’s rotor is the part that a layman might describe as the “blades,” or the spinning part.
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