What parts make up a wind turbine? A complete breakdown!
Interested in wind power? Here's the turbine breakdown you need from the tip of the blades to the bottom of the tower..
Let's get going...
First off, let’s have a run down on some of the components, starting with the tower. This one’s pretty simple, it’s the long vertical structure that holds up the whole wind turbine assembly. The tower will sit within and on top of a reinforced foundation. Tower heights can vary and are influenced by things such as wind speeds and land availability.
Next up we have the hub. This is what the rotor blades are attached to. The hub holds the blades and connects them to the main shaft of the wind turbine.
The rotor blades themselves are aerodynamically designed. This allows them to perfectly capture the wind power needed to convert into electricity.
Did you know?
Most components of a wind turbine are actually recyclable. For parts that are not, (like the rotor blades!), people have come up with some pretty innovative ways to make sure that they are repurposed and don’t end up in landfill. Many rotor blades have already been repurposed as bike shelters, benches and even play parks, bringing the turbine even closer to communities.
Next up we have the nacelle. The nacelle can be found at the top of the tower and can be turned to face the wind, maximising the turbine's effectiveness. Inside the nacelle you’ll find all sorts of electricity producing parts as well as the generator, control centre and sometimesa gearbox.
Lastly we have the generator. The wind blows, the blades spin and the generator oversees the transformation of mechanical energy (blades spinning!) to electrical energy. This electricity feeds into the grid and eventually helps to power your home.
And there we have it, the most important parts of the wind turbine!
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