Technical Considerations
Wind turbines convert the energy of wind movement (kinetic energy) into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then converted into electricity.
There are three principles governing the amount of energy available from the wind: (1) the power available to the turbine is proportional to the wind speed cubed; (2) the power available is directly proportional to the swept area of the blades and (3) Betz' law determines the maximum theoretical efficiency of wind generators is 59%.
The load factor (or capacity factor) for South Australian wind farms is usually in the range 32-38%. This means that a wind farm could typically produce between 32 and 38% of its nameplate capacity averaged over a year.
Read more about this topic: Wind Power In South Australia
Famous quotes containing the word technical:
“When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. That is the way it was with the atomic bomb.”
—J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967)