Mandy asks…
Concept of Windmills for Energy?
Can someone please help me understand the concept of windmills and how they will generate electricity/energy?
What exactly are they meant to do and how will they achieve this?
And in regards to the windmills, why would it be desirable to have one on the roof of your house?
admin answers:
Original windmills were mills. They milled grain for agricultural use and making flour and such. The giant fan turned a grindstone via gears. There was no electricity. It actually predates electricity by several hundred years.
Direct drive as listed above is the most efficient use of wind. If you had to transform it into electricity, it would take more mills to make enough power to run an electric motor to power a grindstone that big.
Anyway, even though it is not as good, conversion to electric is easier for us, since most are not even remotely as mechanically inclined as the average person from 2 centuries ago.
How a modern windmill works, spinning fan connects to a generator, which makes electricity.The generator then stores energy in batteries, or just unloads energy as it is being made.
I believe most wind-powered homes are passive, meaning they have regular electricity, but when there is wind, the house draws less power from the “grid”.
Kind of like if you had a motorboat, but started paddling every once in a while, even thpough the motor was running. You’d save a little gas, but not much. You’d have to paddle all the time to make any noticable difference in fuel consumption.
Having one on the roof of my house? Not sure about that, unless I had no yard. The mill has to be sizeable in order to do any kind of work besides recharging cell-phone batteries.
Ruth asks…
Who makes windmills used for Energy?
Who are the makers of Wind mills used for energy?
Is there a list of them somewhere?
Thanks in advance,
Scott
admin answers:
The other day i saw a prog. About a japanese company making wind mills that can withstand storms & wind up to 100 knot’s , it’s smaller propeller but the advantage is it can be used @ houses….. Unfortunately a name wasn’t announced due to advertising reasons
David asks…
Why isn’t Washington DC filled with windmills to capture the energy from all the hot air blown around?
admin answers:
The blades would be hitting them all on their big heads all the time.
Joseph asks…
Why don’t we build more windmills for our energy?
I have them near me and it’s a magnificent sight!
admin answers:
Not only should we ask that….but also, why not invest in the technology of refining coal into gas and production of more bio diesel…There are many things we could do to lower our need for foreign oil, but the oil companies and lobbyists are making a sh*t load of money right now and are not in a hurry to do anything that could cause a profit decrease…..
Betty asks…
What are those windmills that restore energy or store energy and are usually on the hills and are alot of them
I was with my grandma out in the country and we saw a whole bunch of the windmills that store energy an dI do not know the name
admin answers:
Individually, they ARE windmills. Collectively, they’re called a windfarm, and they GENERATE electrical power, supplementing the local grid. In our area, they provide 3% of the energy mix.
And yes, they are also called wind turbines.
Helen asks…
Is it true that solar and windmills are the only forms of energy approved by liberals?
admin answers:
Personally, I’m a big fan of just using less. By reducing wasted energy, we can greatly reduce the amount of fuel used, regardless of where it comes from.
Solar water heating can cut your heating requirement by as much as 1/3. Improving building standards to require better insulation and a tighter envelope can slash your heating and cooling needs. Driving a fuel efficient car (note I didn’t say hybrid, just one that doesn’t guzzle gas) can save more oil than most solar systems. Using CFL or LED lightbulbs instead of incandescent bulbs can save electricity and reduce the cooling required in summer (most of the electricity used in incandescent light bulbs create heat, not light).
Less is more!
Paul asks…
Could the world energy crisis be solved if we all wore small windmills instead of bow ties?
( or a three day old kipper in my case )
admin answers:
I’m sure you remember the propeller caps of days gone by.
Lisa asks…
Should Dems Just Shut Down All Energy in the US Until we Put Up Enough Windmills with Protection for Eagles?
Windmills are the answer but we don’t want to hurt a single eagle. Right?
admin answers:
He is going to make Nevada the forefront of green energy he promised, It thrilled these hard rock gold miners outta their boots. We are giving up gold metal for golden sun rays ,and pigs will fly and their will be peace on earth and we will all be happy , Ok the guy is full of crap I can’t pretend anymore even if it is sarcastic.
Susan asks…
Energy and Windmills?
I performed this experiment where I created a mini windmill and used a blow dryer to create air to turn the blades/turbine. This in turn then caused a string attached to an object at the end of the stick supporting the blade/turbine to wind all the way up.
All I’m asking is, would this mean the energy has gone from electrical energy to kinetic energy to electrical energy again to gravitational energy?
admin answers:
The hair blower converted electric mechanical in the blower mechanism which caused the air to move- to kinetic
the windmill converted kinetic of moving air to mechanical, moving blades
te mechanical was used to wind the string up, if this raised something, then that is gravitational
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