- #1
fatcats
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Homework Statement
Choose one form of electrical generation and in point form outline the process through which electricity is generated and the energy transformations that occur.
Homework Equations
NA
The Attempt at a Solution
Hi, I am done my work and I used two reliable sources. This question is worth five marks. What I would like to know is if my answer makes sense/if I am correct and if I am missing anything. Would really appreciate it.
– Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun combined with the irregularities of the earth’s surface and the rotation of the earth.- Moving air pushes against the blades of the turbine making them rotate. Some of the kinetic energy of the wind is transformed into the mechanical (rotational kinetic) energy of the spinning blades.
- Some energy is lost; it is converted into thermal energy (due to friction) and sound energy (the blades are noisy).
- The wind still has some kinetic energy as it flows through the turbine.
- The blades are connected to a rotor, which is connected to the main shaft. The shaft spins a generator.
- The shafts and gears inside the gear box transfer the mechanical energy of the turbine to the generator. The gears make the drive shaft to the generator spin faster than the shaft connected to the blade hub.
- The mechanical energy keeps moving through the different parts of the turbine until it hits the generator. The energy remains in the mechanical form. Along the way some is converted into thermal energy.
- The generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.- Wind turbines do not produce electricity all the time. Wind may be available as much as 70% of the time, but it is often not strong enough to operate the turbine at full capacity. Over the course of a year, only 30% energy of a constant strong wind’s potential energy will be generated. A good site might have a 35% capacity factor.