Wind Power

Wind Power exploits the kinetic energy of wind in wind turbines to generate other forms of power, especially mechanical power and electricity. It is considered one of the most used forms of renewable energies: the term Wind Power describes the power generated from no-fossil sources, whose use has a very significant environmental importance by assuring both minor air pollution and reduction of gas carbon emission rate. Another positive aspect related to its use is the exceptional cost/production ratio.

Wind and Aeolic Generators

Air generators, the technical name for pinwheel, divide into various categories according to: the Aeolian generator that can be either on horizontal or on vertical axis, the number of shovels (from one to three) and the lengths of shovels (from fifty centimetres to thirty meters). Air generators are constituted by: a rotor (a pivot on which are inserted shovels), a stopping system for shovels block; a turns’ multiplier to increase shovels’ speed, a generator that enables to convert mechanical power into electricity; and a control system that manages the pinwheel functionality (and that, in overloaded or malfunctioning eventuality, blocks it); some air generators, generally the bigger ones, have also a system that provides a constant alignment between the rotor axis and the wind direction.

Wind Farms

The “Wind Farms” are real power stations: they originate from the connection of several air generators located within a fixed distance from each other in order to avoid dangerous interferences among them. Some Wind Farms, named Off-Shore, are located into the sea, near coasts and lakes; they are a valuable option also in densely populated countries. The history of wind plants in Italy is almost recent; the first air generator, installed in Sardinia, dates back to 1989; up to now we can say that the Wind Power use is considerably increased: the number of wind plants is raised up to around forty.

Air Generators

Anyway, it is of note that this form of energy has some negative aspects: from an environmental point of view, even if they reduce the gas emissions rates, they have a negative landscape/visual impact. In addition, because air generators are fairly noisy, the noise pollution can annoy persons and animals that take also other risks: birds can be killed while flying across shoves, even if this rarely happens; there is also the problem of interferences, and of the magnetic fields creation, but this can be avoided by using small expedients.

To finish with, it is worth saying that Wind Power considerably reduces both gas and polluters emissions, which is on the contrary avoidable from normal power stations.

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Welcome to Renewable energy, the alternative energy source is a more and more discussed topic on TV, in newspapers and among people worldwide: terms as Wind Power, geothermal energy, photovoltaic panels and recovery of the heat have become part of our vocabulary and it is highly desiderable that, in a near future, the subject is seriously considered.

In nature nothing is destroyed and nothing is created

First, let’s see what the renewable energies are and how they can be classified: renewable energies are a form of energy derived from unlimited energy sources, whose use does not jeopardize the availability of natural resources for future generations; but we have to be careful: these statements are worth only from both a social and a political point of view, as according to the first principle of dynamics in nature nothing is destroyed and nothing is created; but if we consider that the regeneration both of fossils, such as coal, natural gas and petroleum, and of chemical elements, such as plutonium and uranium, take millions of years, we have to consider these sources exhaustible, as in the near future they will be limited.

Sustainable development

Can be considered as renewable energy: the geothermal energy (the heat derived from geological sources), the hydroelectric energy (energy of tides, of sea heat and sea waves), the Wind Power, the solar energy (photovoltaic and thermal), the energy derived from Biomass (such as vegetable oils, biogas, biodiesel and chips), and the waste thermovalorization. The renewable energy has a very limited environmental impact; it allows having a sustainable development by not wasting the natural sources, thus preserving their availability for future generations.

In our country, the energy is mostly produced using very old techniques of petroleum or coal combustion; but the science has taken giant steps forward and, now, it is time for Italy to develop the use of renewable energy resources.

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