I mentioned windmills, from looks to functionality, in a few posts already, but I never actually took a closer look, at a wind turbine. That amazing machine, which powers up our homes, in a very eco-friendly way, deserves to have its story out there.
We see them on the fields, turning gently in the wind, and they seem big, but not extremely big. Also, from a distance, not much seem to happen, but once you get closer, you realize how impressive the machines really are. From the sound they make, to the size, to the speed with which the blades turn, they surely leave an impression on us.
Coming back from a trip, I passed by a construction site. At a second glance, I’ve realized what was actually being built, were a few wind turbines. Because of the enormous size of the foundation, I couldn’t tell from the start what type of construction I was looking at, but after the first towers were up, it was pretty obvious: mega wind turbines.
Compared to the already existing large windmills (149 m height, 3.0 megawatts of power), the mega wind turbine (E-126), has the height of 198 m, and can generate up to 7.58 megawatts of power! Absolutely impressive size and power, and it definitely deserves the title of the World’s Largest and Most Powerful Wind Turbine! (or at least, for now)
The Towers, Foundation and Start of a Tower, and Metal Tower Sections
Every tubular steel tower is made out of sections of 20-30 meters (with an increasing diameter towards the base of the tower, for strength reasons), with flanges at either end, so the sections can be bolted together. Each section is transported one half at a time, and then put together on the site.
Once the towers are in place, huge custom made trucks, which travel only during the night so they don’t affect the traffic (as sometimes they need to close entire roads, in order to move further on with the transportation), bring the gigantic blades to the location.
With the 127 m diameter rotor put together, cranes and quite a lot of man power, the blades and rotor make it to the top of the tower, and the windmill is finished and ready to start the job.
Wind energy definitely came a long way, in the past century, going from propelling boats, to pumping water, to producing only 12 kW, to powering entire cities. Scientists look constantly for more ways to improve the performance of this fascinating machines, and considering the latest wind turbine, I think they’re doing a pretty good job.
Since the first construction of such an impressive machine, in 2008, it is estimated that only twelve such wind turbines are enough to power approximately 50,000 homes with environmentally-friendly electricity. Now imagine making it global! With more and more wind farm being constructed, the future can look pretty green.
I don’t want to protect the environment. I want to create a world where the environment doesn’t need protecting.
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I have seen few windmills in close quarter and yes, it is indeed huge and looks beautiful. I agree the task of putting the windmills in place is a herculean task. The blades are massive and transporting through the road to the destination is not easy. Installing such structure needs meticulous planning and clinical precision in putting the entire framework in place. Other than the engineering fit, it fits so well into the ecosystem of the nature. It produces clean energy and it creates no disturbance to the nature…green technology for clean air.
Love the way you have described the entire setup, as I was literally going through the process and the place where it was installed.
cheers to green technology and the power of wind.
😀
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Thank you for reading, Nihar! I was very much impressed by this amazing machines. I went really close to one, and the speed with which the blades were turning, and also the sound it makes, left me speechless.
On my way back to NL, I saw some trucks with blades moving towards a construction site. Very impressive way of transportation.
I can’t help but think how the world would look like, with more green technology. I’m all for it! Wind, water, solar energy…We should have more of that, and less burning coal and oil.
Thank you once again for joining me in the journey of building a wind turbine! 🙂 Cheers to a cleaner environment!
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I agree Lucy we all would love to see a clearer and greener world around us. We all should support and promote green technology, renewable energy is the alternatives and with breakthrough in solar technologies, things is going to catch up and transform the way we produce and use energy.
I have visited few plants and have seen how these wind/water turbines are manufactured, it is indeed huge and takes lot of engineering skill to put those water turbines. Oh! Yeah the speed of wind turbine blades doesn’t appear to turning at high speed till you go close by…
indeed cheers to green technology and clean environment.
😀
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We should definitely support any way of obtaining a cleaner environment, and I believe wind turbines should be on that list 🙂
Indeed, impressive to see them close. I really enjoyed the sound.
Have a lovely day!! 😀
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Hi Lucy,
quite an interesting article: thanks for sharing.
Have a great week,
Pit
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Glad you enjoyed it, Pit! Thank you for reading. You too have a great week! 🙂
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That’s impressive! I wish more and more countries will use this type technology! Thank you for the highlight, Lucy, truly inspiring 🙂
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My pleasure, Indah! Thank you for reading. I also wish we could make this global. Only wind and sun power would be enough to power our societies, in a green way. That would be amazing!!
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Oh it’s much more impressive than I thought. I think it’s great progress 🙂
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I was also shocked to see how large and powerful they build them now! Looking good for a cleaner environment! 🙂
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Just amazed that you can write so much about turbines! 🙂
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They are quite interesting machines. I love green energy 🙂 Thank you for reading!
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