5 Must-Have Features in a Latest Wind Energy News

What are the main parts of a wind turbine and what are their functions?

A wind turbine consists of five main parts and many smaller parts. The main components are the foundation, the tower, the rotor and hub (including three blades), the nacelle, and the generator.

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The installation of all these elements requires specific wind turbine equipment to meet the needs of each one.

1. Wind turbine foundation

The foundation is in the ground for onshore turbines; it is invisible because it is covered with soil. It is a large, heavy structural block of concrete that must support the entire turbine and the forces acting on it.

For offshore turbines, the foundation is underwater and invisible. For offshore turbines far from the sea, the base floats but has enough mass to support and sustain the weight of the turbine and all the forces applied to it.

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2. Wind energy tower

The towers of most modern turbines are made of round steel tubes. A rule of thumb for a turbine tower is that it should be the same height as the diameter of the circle its blades make as they spin. In general, the taller the turbine, the more susceptible it is to high-speed winds. This is because the farther we are from the ground, the stronger the wind (the wind does not have the same speed at different heights).

Discover how to transport and install tower sections with our equipment.

You may be interested in: Wind Turbine Blade Transport

3. Wind turbine rotor and hub

The rotor is the rotating part of the turbine; it consists of three blades and a central part that connects the blades, the hub.

Although it is the most common, a turbine does not necessarily have three blades. But the three-blade rotor has advantages such as optimal efficiency. The blades aren’t strong; they’re hollow and made of composite material that’s both lightweight and strong. The trend is to make them bigger (for more power), lighter, and more robust. For aerodynamics, the blades are shaped like an airfoil (like an airplane’s wings). Also, they are not flat and have a twist between their root and tip. The blade can rotate up to 90° around its axis. This movement is called pitch.

The function of the hub is to hold the blades and allow them to rotate relative to the rest of the turbine body.

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4. Wind turbine Nacelle

The nacelle houses all the components that need to be on top of the turbine.

The nacelle of a wind turbine is a complex electromechanical system with quite a few components that function correctly with precision. Significant turbine parts are the generator and the turbine shaft which transfers the energy from the wind to the generator through a gearbox. The gearbox is an essential part of the wind turbine; it’s on the cable car.

Since the turbine must follow the wind and adjust its direction according to the wind direction, its rotor must turn relative to the tower. This rotation is called yaw motion, in which the nacelle and rotor rotate around the tower axis.

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Crosby Airpes is an expert in wind energy equipment

Setting up an onshore or offshore wind farm is no easy task, but it can be made easier with the right travel companion.

Crosby Airpes specializes in lifting solutions for the wind power industry. Each client has specific needs: the geographical location of the wind farm, the characteristics of the equipment, etc., which make each project unique.

At Crosby Airpes, we have extensive experience in the design of lifting systems, and we are ready to assist your business in the wind energy sector. Contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Wind energy offers many advantages, which explains why it's one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. To further expand wind energy’s capabilities and community benefits, researchers are working to address technical and socio-economic challenges in support of a robust energy future.

Learn more about ongoing research to take advantage of these benefits and tackle wind energy challenges.

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Advantages of Wind Power

• Wind power creates good-paying jobs. There are nearly 150,000 people working in the U.S. wind industry across all 50 states, and that number continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wind turbine service technicians are the fastest growing U.S. job of the decade. Offering career opportunities ranging from blade fabricator to asset manager, the wind industry has the potential to support hundreds of thousands of more jobs by .
• Wind power is a domestic resource that enables U.S. economic growth. In , wind turbines operating in all 50 states generated more than 10% of the net total of the country’s energy. That same year, funding in new wind projects added $20 billion to the U.S. economy.
• Wind is a renewable source of energy. Wind turbines harness energy from the wind using mechanical power to spin a generator and create electricity. Not only is wind an abundant and inexhaustible resource, but it also provides electricity without burning any fuel or polluting the air. 
• Wind power benefits local communities. Wind projects deliver an estimated $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments each year. Communities that develop wind energy can use the extra revenue to put towards school budgets, reduce the tax burden on homeowners, and address local infrastructure projects.
• Wind power is cost-effective. Land-based, utility-scale wind turbines provide one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today. Furthermore, wind energy’s cost competitiveness continues to improve with advances in the science and technology of wind energy.
• Wind turbines work in different settings. Wind energy generation fits well in agricultural and multi-use working landscapes. Wind energy is easily integrated in rural or remote areas, such as farms and ranches or coastal and island communities, where high-quality wind resources are often found.

Challenges of Wind Power

• Wind power must compete with other low-cost energy sources. When comparing the cost of energy associated with new power plants, wind and solar projects are now more economically competitive than gas, geothermal, coal, or nuclear facilities. However, wind projects may not be cost-competitive in some locations that are not windy enough. Next-generation technology, manufacturing improvements, and a better understanding of wind plant physics can help bring costs down even more.
• Ideal wind sites are often in remote locations. Installation challenges must be overcome to bring electricity from wind farms to urban areas, where it is needed to meet demand. Upgrading the nation’s transmission network to connect areas with abundant wind resources to population centers could significantly reduce the costs of expanding land-based wind energy. In addition, offshore wind energy transmission and grid interconnection capabilities are improving.
• Turbines produce noise and alter visual aesthetics. Wind farms have different impacts on the environment compared to conventional power plants, but similar concerns exist over both the noise produced by the turbine blades and the visual impacts on the landscape.
• Wind plants can impact local wildlife. Although wind projects rank lower than other energy developments in terms of wildlife impacts, research is still needed to minimize wind-wildlife interactions. Advancements in technologies, properly siting wind plants, and ongoing environmental research are working to reduce the impact of wind turbines on wildlife.