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Wind Energy : Wind Power

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Wind energy is the use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power generators for electricity. Wind power has been used as long as humans have put sails into the wind. Wind power is an alternative to burning fossils, is plentiful, renewable, clean, produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, consumes no water, and uses little , or barely any land. Wind power gives variable power which is very consistent from year to year, but it has significant variation over shorter time scales. It is used with other electrical power resources to give a reliable supply. The first windmill used for the production of electricity was built in Scotland in July 1887 by Professor James Blyth of Anderson’s College. The development of of electric power caused wind power to find new applications in lighting buildings remote from centrally generated power. A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used for production of electricity. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines distributed over an extended area, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purpose. The Gansu Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in the world, it has several thousand turbines. A wind farm may also be located offshore. Almost all large wind turbines have the same design, a horizontal axis wind turbine having an upwind rotor with three blades, attached to a nacelle on top of a tall tubular tower. Offshore wind power refers to

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