What is a Wind Turbine?

Dotted across landscapes throughout the world, one can now see small, stick-thin structures with three spokes poking out from the central column. These structures are alarming, and almost sinister, the first time you see them. The world now recognises them as wind turbines, and their presence in the modern world is becoming more apparent.

Wind turbines are man’s primary way of generating electricity using the power of the wind. The versions of wind turbines we see now are merely an extension of an old idea; using the wind for power is no new concept. What is new is using the wind to generate electricity.

In the past, farmers would use windmills – the forerunner to the wind turbine, which in design they closely resemble – to power machinery to grind corn. These windmills can still be seen around the world, with Holland a well known location for windmills. The white structures we see across fields today are simply the 21st century version.

Wind turbines usually have three spokes, which when caught by the wind cause the mechanism to revolve. The spokes spin around driven by the force of the wind, and this in turn is used to power a machine – just like the windmills of old. However, the machines these turbines now power do not grind crops, but rather generate electricity through a traditional generator.

Wind turbines are one of the most – if not the most – effective ways of generating electricity. The energy produces is clean and, more importantly, renewable. So while these turbines may still cause mild shock when viewed in a place one did not expect them, they are nevertheless the future.

The Disadvantages of Solar Power

We all constantly hear how good solar power is, but one cannot present a convincing argument without looking at both sides of the story. While solar power has many benefits, it also has its drawbacks.

The first is also the most obvious. Namely, that the sun does not always shine. While cool weather and overcast days do not cause solar panels to stop functioning entirely, such conditions will reduce their output. For this reason alone, the likelihood of solar power being the only solution to the energy crisis of the future is slim. It is simply not possible, even in the hottest regions, to depend on solar energy entirely for a country’s electricity supply.

This is an important consideration, but not one that is particularly dominant if you are merely thinking of having solar panels installed on your roof. In the average home owners case, the demands on your solar panels will be far less than an entire country could generate. You will not be expecting it to power your home entirely forevermore, so providing you acknowledge the possible limitations of solar panels during the coldest and wettest months, you should be able to get by.

The other important disadvantage of solar power is the cost. Again using the idea of an average home owner; the installation of panels and conversion of your energy sources is a time consuming and costly process. While you will eventually recoup any investment by saving on your usual utility bills, for many the up front costs are prohibitive.

However, while these considerations are not small, they do not mean that solar power is not one of the most viable ways of generating renewable energy. The sun is our greatest resource, and it is somewhat surprising it has taken until now for us to utilise it fully.

Solar Power: Expensive, But Worth It

You may have noticed that over recent years, more and more companies are springing up and advertising solar panels. This, in turn, has lead to more people installing solar panels on their homes – so you may be wondering if this is the move for you.

Having solar panels fitted to your roof is expensive, no doubt about it. The installation varies from $4000 to $60,000. The difference depends on the size of your house, your requirements from the panels themselves and how much electricity you are hoping to generate. In basic terms, the larger the panels and the more you want – the bigger your bill, though even a basic system can be tough on the wallet.

Firstly, most solar panel installation companies will offer some form of credit – perhaps even ‘buy now pay later’ type deals, which allow you to suspend repayments for a year or more. Almost all will offer a traditional credit scheme, where you have the panels installed and then pay them off. This is one of the most expensive ways to get solar panels installed, as you will be charged for the credit, but nevertheless it is an option.

The best way option for most is to save a dedicated fund for their solar panels. Using the old school system of putting a little money by each week, many households can afford solar panels within a couple of years without having to pay credit purchase rates.

Whichever way you choose to do it, solar panels are expensive. There isn’t any way of getting around that, though as the technology improves prices should fall. It is always worth remember, however, that solar power is beneficial both to your wallet in the long run, and to the environment.

Solar Powered Cars

To most, upon glimpsing a true solar powered car they will be strongly reminded of the children’s TV series ‘The Jetsons’. After all, most solar powered cars are oddly shaped – sometimes even flying saucer-esque – and are covered in little mirrors and panels to suck energy from the sun. These cars look odd, but they do exist. In fact, in the Australian Outback (which benefits from glaring sun rays) a car powered purely by the sun was about to reach speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour.

Not particularly impressive given the world’s fastest combustion engine car, the Bugatti Veyron, can reach 250mph – but not bad. The effect that solar powered cars have on the environment is virtually nil, and while the shape and design are still somewhat bizarre, that is something that can be tampered with over time. So, does the future see us starting the solar panels on our cars rather than the engine?

Well, not quite. While 80mph may seem pretty good, the cost of getting to that speed was extortionate – well out of the reach of most household budgets. The other flaw is the design; solar panels on solar powered cars need to cover a large area atop the car to function, which leads to designs including wide wings and flat roofs. Not aesthetically pleasing, and not practical either.

The problem is momentum; rather than just generating steam like traditional panels, the solar panels on cars are trying to create enough force to move a stationary object. While there is a chance in the future someone will see a way around this problem, for now, solar powered cars remain the playthings of scientists – not the new family vehicle.

The Past May Be Dim, But The Future Is Bright For Solar Energy

Where would we be without inventions? Well, the answer is fairly easy to surmise; sitting around in our mud huts hoping the cow will produce some milk, and that our vegetables will grow. Inventions have given humans the edge over the other species on the planet, as our collaborative minds create a new world bigger and better than the one before.

The problem is, humans are fallible – and what’s more, arrogant. Humans have, throughout the centuries, had an uncanny ability to invent things that will improve our lives forever – but we’re just as likely to boast about our discoveries, too. This desire to show the world what we have uncovered and just how very clever we are has lead to many good inventions being tried before they were ready; they subsequently failed, and the idea was pushed to the back of a drawer, banished from history forever.

The inventions that have survived have done so for one of two reasons: firstly, the inventor was wise enough to perfect his invention before unveiling it to the general public in a blaze of glory. Or, as is more likely, a good idea may have experienced a bad start, but has been good enough for people to persist and perfect the technology as it works along.

Solar panels very nearly suffered the fate of numerous other inventions that were revealed to the public too soon and proven to be disastrous, thus shoved to the back of the drawer and forgotten about. Excited scientists proudly told the world how the dependence on fossil fuels would be able to end, and all thanks to something called solar panels and their ability to generate electricity.

Yet they went public too soon, with an imperfect technology, and solar panels quickly got a reputation as unreliable. However, the idea stuck, and now we exist in a world where solar panels are almost becoming the norm. Solar panels have thus proven that even after a bad start, the good ideas tend to stick.

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