Today, wind turbines are a common sight in our landscape. However, not everyone understands how they work.

Wind Turbines are gigantic devices which spins very fast.  Some of us still want to know about- how fast does a wind turbine spin or perhaps they end up asking what happens if a wind turbine spins too fast?

The blades of the wind turbines are intended to rotate the power generator by converting the wind energy to electrical energy.

Regular turbines comfortably spin at a speed of 100 mph and reaches to a speed of 180 mph. The windmills generate electricity by transferring the wind power into electrical energy. It exerts on the blades of a turbine.

The electricity that is produced is sent to the national grid and then distributed to the various outlet points.

What Are The Factors That Influence Wind Turbine Speed?

There are three main factors that can influence the power output of the speed of the wind turbine. They are as follows:

  • Wind speed- Stronger winds provide most power conversion as they rotate the blades faster. Although it might seem most viable to the position, wind turbines are seen mostly in regions which have higher wind speed.
  • Air density- The density of air of a particular locale is a combination of altitude, pressure and temperature. The denser the air, the more pressure it affects to the rotors resulting in higher power.
  • Blade radius- Larger blades have greater area of surface that enables them to capture more of the wind’s kinetic energy.  Bigger blades need higher velocity of winds to set the turbines in motion. They also require more space.

Read More: Why Do Solar Cells Need An Inverter?

The wind turbines need to be in areas with a lot of wind. Then only one can experience a better speed. The flow of wind should be maintained on daily basis to avoid any kind of hazards and it is also important than experiencing occasional high winds.

Some might wonder-how long are wind turbine blades? The speed at which the blades of the wind spins determines whether the speed of the wind is high or not.

If you are enquiring about how fast do windmills spin, here is your answer. Safe wind speed ranges are considered to be 40 meters per second (144 km/h, 89 mph) to 72 meters per second (259 km/h, 161 mph).

The most common recommended Survival Speed is 60 meters per second (216 km/h, 134 mph).

The wind speeds are measured by vane anemometer. It is a piece of equipment essential to their safe and controlled operation.

It causes the turbine’s shaft to rotate at a speed of 10-20 revolutions per minute according to the measurement of wind turbine rpm calculation.

 Types Of Wind Turbines

Basically there are two main types of wind turbines. One is HAWT (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine) and the other is VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine).

1)  Horizontal-axis turbines are similar to propeller airplane engines. These wind turbines have blades similar to airplane propellers, and they have three blades.

2) The next is Vertical-axis turbines that look like egg beaters

3) Wind power plants, or wind farms, are the third type of wind turbines which produces electricity

 In this context, we will also discuss about the shapes and sizes of wind turbines. Wind turbines are available in all shapes and sizes, depending upon their intended application.

They are as follows:

  • Small turbines are designed to supply efficient power to rural homes and cabins.
  • Community-scale turbines create enough power to service all homes and businesses within a community.
  • Industry scale turbines group together to form a wind farm. They supply the National Grid with a constant, large supply of energy.

The Amount Of Energy Generated By A Wind Turbine Depends On?

Have you ever wondered upon the fact- how fast does a wind turbine spin or what is the amount of energy generated by a wind turbine that is depended on? The amount of power that is harvested from the wind depends on the size of the turbine. The length of its blades plays the role.

The output of energy is proportional to the dimensions of the rotor and to the cube of the wind speed. Theoretically, when wind speed doubles, wind power potential increases by a factor of eight.

Also Read: How Many Amps Does A Refrigerator Use?

What Happens If A Wind Turbine Spins Too Fast?

Multiple inbuilt safeguards and prevents the wind turbines spinning too fast. If it happens so, then they may become damaged and not stream their full potential of power.

To generate electricity. If the wind turbines spins faster than their speed, then these things may happen.

  • It could cause mechanical damage
  • Create a wall against the wind to safely spin the turbine to create electricity
  • It may explode during a storm or catch fire accidently  

How Long Are Wind Turbine Blades?

Various wind turbines measure differently. Some blades may measure around 50 meters in length or about 164 feet. It might so happen that a windmills blades move from the blowing wind faster if the wind is too fast and the blades are smaller in size.

There are three blades of a wind turbine that make it move accordingly. The angular momentum stays constant. When one blade is up, the other two are pointing at an angle. So the turbine can rotate into the wind smoothly.

Conclusion

If you want to know about why wind turbine spinning too fast is good for the region, then let us tell you it is all because of the high speed of the wind that makes it spin high. Wind turbines are designed to spin at high speeds and concerts the optimum amount of kinetic energy into electric energy.

Also Read: How Many Lumens Is The Sun

FAQS–

Q1. Are Wind Turbines Loud?

A wind turbine is typically placed at a distance of 300 meters away from a house. A turbine will have a sound pressure level of about 43 decibels at that distance. The average air conditioner can produce up to 50 decibels of noise, while most refrigerators produce around 40 decibels.

Q2. What Happens To Wind Turbines When There Is No Wind?

When there is insufficient wind and the blades move too slowly, the wind turbine ceases to produce electricity. At the cut-in speed, the turbines begin to generate power. Power output increases as the wind speed increases, but at a slower rate than it does immediately after the cut-in point.

Q3. How Tall Is A Wind Turbine?

The height of a wind turbine is measured from the distance of the ground to that of the center of the rotor of the turbine. The height of utility-scale land-based wind turbines has increased by 59% since 1998–1999, reaching approximately 90 metres (295 feet) in 2020. That’s roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty!

Q4. What Is Wind Turbine Rpm Calculation?

At 5 m/s, the maximum power output is 22,5 W/m2 (rotor total area), proportional to wind speed cubed. There is an optimum tip speed ratio for each turbine. The optimal tip speed ratio is 0.7-0.8. You can use this to calculate the RPM calculation of the turbine.

Also Read: Solar Panels On The Metal Roof- Ins And Outs