03-09-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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� What are the Basic Parts of a Small Wind Electric Basic Parts ot a Small SySt@�1'1? Wind Electric System Home wind energy systems gener- Rotor ally comprise a rotor,a generator or Generatod Tail altemator mounted on a frame,a tail a�ternator (usually),a tower,wiring,and the �; � "balance of system"wmponents: � mntrollers,inverters,and/or batter- ies.Through the spinning blades,the rotor captures the kinetic energy of Tower the wind and converts it into rotary motion to drive the generator. � Wind Turbine Most turbines manufactured today are horizontal auis upwind machines generator from a 60-foot tower height with two or three blades,which are to a 100-foot tower involves a 10% usually made of a composite material ��'ease in overall system mst,but it such as fiberglass. can produce 29%more power. The amount of power a turbine will There are t�'o basic types of tow- produce is determined primarily by ers:self-supporting(free standing) the diameter of its rotor.The diameter and guyed.Most home wind power of the mtor defines its"swept area," systems use a guyed tower.Guyed or the quantity of wind intercepted by towers,which are the least expensive, the turbine.The turbine's frame is the can mnsist of lattice sections,pipe,or structure onto which the rotor,genera- �bing(depending on the design),and tor,and tail are attached.The tail SuPporiing guy H'ires•They aze easier keeps the turbine facing into the wind. to install than self-supporting tow- ers.However,because the guy radius Tower must be one-half to three-quarters Because wind speeds increase with of the tower height,guyed towers height,the turbine is mounted on require enough space to acmmmodate a tower.In general,the higher the them.Although tilt-down towers are tower,the more power the wind more expensive,they offer the con- system can produce.The tower also sumer an easy way to perform raises the turbine above the air maintenance on smaller light-weight Tilt-down towers provide easy turbulence that can exist close to turbines,usually 5 kW or less. maintenance for the ground because of obstructions turbines. such as hills,buildings,and trees.A Tllt_Down Tower general rule of thumb is to install a wind turbine on a tower with the bot- � � - •�;��: tom of the rotor blades at least 30 feet o-'�F �`"''` - "'�`�'`�' - � '' (9 meters)above any obstacle that is within 300 feet(90 meters)of the tower.Relarively small investments in increased tower height can yield very high rates of return in power produc- tion.For instance,to raise a 10-kW