Windmill Design - What Is A Windmill Made Of And What Affects Its Design?

What does a windmill do, how does it work? A windmill is a construction that converts the energy in wind into mechanical energy, which can then be harnessed as electrical energy.

Most windmills consist of these parts:

• Blades - A windmill can have any number of blades from four to twenty. A special windmill may have more.

• Tower - This is a structure to which the blades are held at the top, so the wind can rotate them.

• Shaft - The shaft holds the blades and attaches them to the tower and allows for the smooth rotation of blades.

• Generator - The generator is what converts mechanical energy to electricity. It can also store electricity to use later.

• Base - The base of the windmill provides support for the upper structure and keeps it grounded to the earth.

So what needs to be taken into consideration in windmill design?

The design of a windmill is affected by many factors. Here are a few of the major ones:

• Wind speed: The wind speed will determine the type of windmill required to capture wind energy. A measurement device known as an Anemometer is used to accurately measure wind speed, as this must be known before deciding which windmill design is the right one to use.

• Wind direction: It is important to know what direction wind blows predominantly when designing a windmill.

• Fluctuations in wind speed: As well as knowing the speed of wind, knowing how the wind fluctuates will also affect the windmill design.

• Changes in wind direction: Wind does not blow continuously in one direction so it is important to be aware of the different directions the wind blows in the area for the windmill placement.

• Surrounding obstacles: Windmills will work best in areas where there are no obstacles to wind flow so be aware of existing and potential structures before deciding on a site for a windmill. Surrounding structures will affect windmill performance.

• Wind turbulence: Wind movement is not guaranteed or predictable, but it is a wise move to have some idea of wind flow and movement in the proposed area for your windmill placement.

• Height of wind activity from the ground: Obviously, the tower height will need to be at the same level where the wind is for the windmill to function as designed.

What are the differences in windmill design?

Aerodynamics means that the basic design of a windmill is based on the factors mentioned in the section above. Different designs of windmills include variations in:

• Quantity of blades

• Blade shape

• Tower height

• Type of generator

• Distance of the installation site from the ground

• Distance between the tower and the generator

When these factors are taken into consideration when looking for the right windmill design for your site, you can maximize the energy you receive for your effort, and minimize, or eliminate your power bill entirely.

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Saving power for now and for our future - Jo Baker

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