With the depletion of fossil fuels and climate change, most countries around the world are turning to renewable and sustainable resources. Including these new energies in the global energy mix is a first step towards more responsible electricity production. Among the rapidly developing renewable energies we find wind power. In this article, find out how a wind turbine works
What is a wind turbine?
The word eolian comes from the Greek Aeolus which designates the God of wind. A wind turbine therefore uses the energy produced by the wind. Today, we know wind power for its electricity production, but wind energy has been used for much longer. Indeed, human beings have been harnessing the energy of the wind for centuries with mills that allowed them to pump water or grind grain.
The wind turbines we know today transform the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. There are onshore wind farms all over the world as well as off-shore wind farms. These wind turbines are installed off the coast and are developing more and more.
The advantage of these is that they withstand more difficult climatic conditions than onshore wind turbines. Offshore installations can produce up to twice as much as land-based installations. This greater yield makes it possible to amortize the investment in such parks, which are more expensive than parks installed on land. Europe's largest offshore wind farm is in the United Kingdom.
Please note: an individual can install a wind turbine on their land to meet their electricity needs and even produce it
A wind turbine is a complex technological installation. To function correctly and produce electricity, it is made up of three essential elements:
The blades
Wind turbines are made up of two to three blades, also called wings. These rotate around a rotor with a horizontal axis. The blades of a wind turbine can sweep a diameter of 40 to 120 meters. The blades are held on the mast by the nacelle. It contains a slewing ring which allows the blades to rotate in the direction of the wind for optimal performance.
The mast
The mast of a wind turbine can be between 50 and 110 meters high. This tower is the element that ensures the stability of the entire wind turbine. It is also through the mast that we access the interior of the installation to carry out maintenance in the event of a problem. Regarding offshore wind turbines, they are accessed using two hydraulic cranes located in the nacelle.
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The electric generator
The electric generator is the centerpiece of the wind turbine. It is thanks to it that the kinetic energy of the wind is converted into electrical energy. This generator is located at the rear of the nacelle at the top of the mast. To rotate at sufficient speed, the generator is connected to a multiplier which is also located in the nacelle. Offshore wind turbines require the installation of an additional electrical connection between the land and the offshore park.
Wind power in France: where are we?
Now that you know how a wind turbine works, what about in France? What is the share of wind energy in the French energy mix?
In France, renewable energies represented 16.8% of electricity production in 2017. Among this renewable production, wind power accounted for 4.5% of electricity production. If this doesn't seem like much, France still has the fourth largest wind farm in Europe. Germany currently has the largest wind farm in Europe. Globally, France is the ninth largest producer of wind energy after Canada and Brazil. China, the United States and Germany occupy the podium.
Onshore wind power is therefore well established in France. However, the country does not yet exploit offshore wind power, despite its very large number of square kilometers of coastline in mainland France and overseas. The UK, Germany and China have the largest offshore wind farms today. (Source: EDF )
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