I’ve only viewed wind turbines from a distance which makes it really difficult to get to grips with size of the regular wind turbines that we tend to see in the shallow seas or in our countryside or wind farms around the world. But with heights of around 25 to 45 meters tall a wind turbine would tower above an average two story semi detached house by around 15 to 35 meters. Now that’s some height isn’t it?
OK now that’s the size of a wind turbine out of the way, but I bet you, like me have often wondered how how a wind turbine really works and what on earth could be inside one of them.
There was a post written recently about how a wind turbine works but that post was more focused on the energy production as opposed to the actual layout and design of the wind turbine and where the various generators and other things are located.
A brief description of a typical wind turbine
Although designs vary a typical wind turbine is of a horizontal axis with 3 bladed rotors spinning in a vertical plane attached to a box containing a generator, often a gearbox and a high voltage transformer, and the whole thing then sits on top a tower which is of sufficient height to keep the blades well away from the ground.
Turbines are essentially classed by their power output which determines their physical size. But it’s what’s inside a wind turbine that makes the whole concept really fascinating.
What’s inside a wind turbine?
This amazing video just gets more and more interesting by the minute as we are taken on a fascinating journey inside a wind turbine. It left me feeling a bit claustrophobic to be honest with you, and I can’t imagine for a minute climbing up inside the tower of a wind turbine to service or repair one. But someone has to do it !
An overview of the layout of utility-class wind turbine generators – where are the major components, what do they do, and what differences can be found between models and size ranges.
Well there you have it.
Next time you look out to sea or across the fields to a wind farm you will know the enormous size that they are and how they work and what’s inside them.