Wind Turbines
History
Wind turbines are windmills that generate electricity. There
are different
types of turbines, but many recognize the classic white, slim,
three-sail design as pictured above. Wind turbines are capable of
providing pollution-free electricity and, because they are computerized,
are relatively simple to
operate and maintain.
When several wind turbines are built in a single area, a “wind farm” (as
it is called in rural areas) is created. Illinois now has several
of these
wind farms in operation. When working together, the turbines
of a wind farm are designed to take the place of what a traditional
power plant would have provided to the grid.
Development
Charles F. Brush
Scientists and engineers in many countries had tinkered with
producing electricity using windmills since the mid-1800s. The
first successful application was completed in 1888 by Charles F. Brush.
Brush’s name is hardly known now, but during his time he was a pioneer
of electrical applications and was Thomas Edison’s rival. In fact,
Brush also established his own electric company. In 1879 his
company made history in San Francisco by becoming the first to supply
electricity from a power plant to a major city. He also
constructed the country's first hydroelectric plant at St. Anthony Falls
near Minneapolis, MN. He also worked to improve the arc light bulb
(the ultra-bright lamp used in spotlights and movie projectors).
After selling his company (which later merged with Edison’s General
Electric in 1891), Brush retired to Cleveland, OH where he had a mansion
built. There he constructed a giant
wind
engine in his back yard; he used it to turn a “dynamo” (generator)
that energized 408 battery cells in the basement of his mansion.
It was not only the first successful automatic wind turbine, but the
first home in Cleveland to run on electricity.
His turbine gained much attention, including a full article in
Scientific American. The device was described as a large,
Eclipse-style wind engine. The photograph to the right
demonstrates its sheer size; look closely to the man pushing a lawnmower
to the right of the machine. If Brush’s wind engine did nothing
else, it proved that electricity generated from wind power was certainly
feasible.
Brush's giant wind "dynamo" in the backyard of his mansion
Photo from the Western Reserve Historical Society
Poul la Cour
Poul la Cour is a name not well known in America, but “The Danish
Edison” became well known for his applications of electricity that came
from experiments with the wind. He was fascinated by windmills and
their potential, especially when studies in Holland concluded that
windmills were too inefficient for electric production. He secured
a grant from the Danish government to construct an experimental wind
turbine in Askov (near the Folk High School where he taught math and
science) that was completed in 1891. This turbine had four
double-sided shutter sails on an open lattice-framed tower.
He also established methods for storing electricity. Rather than
supply the generated electricity directly to customers, he used
electrolysis to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water, which was then
stored in tanks. The gasses could then be used to power, among
other things, combustion engines or lamps. He later developed an
accumulator battery that could store electric current to be used when
the wind was not blowing.
After the success of the first turbine, la Cour began construction of a
traditional Danish custom windmill in 1878 that generated electricity
from six specially designed sails. La Cour proved that not only
could windmills produce electricity, but that traditional
windmills—found all over rural Denmark—could be retrofit to bring
electricity to farmers. This mill stood atop his laboratory where
he tested scale-model sail designs in a wind tunnel; from those
experiments, he concluded that the best turbines would have as few sails
as possible to enable faster rotation (likely the reason today’s
turbines have just two or three sails).
Poul la Cour established the Society of Wind Electricians - the first of
its kind in the world - and held courses about wind electricity
beginning in 1903. La Cour passed away in 1908, but his turbines
kept turning. When the smock windmill burned down 1929, the Askov
Folk High School purchased it. In 1935 the Lykkegaard test turbine
was erected atop the lab building, which was converted into classrooms
for the school. Dismantled in 1968, building bought in 2000 to
turn into a museum.
Poul la Cour's laboratory, which still stands today,
was once home to a Danish smock windmill (foreground).
The other windmill (background) was Poul's first windmill.
Photo from the Poul la Cour Museum
Jacobs
The “Cadillac of Wind Turbines” is Jacobs, named for its founders
Marcellus and Joe Jacobs. The company has been manufacturing
three-rotor turbines atop lattice towers since 1928. Like Poul la
Cour, their aim was to bring electricity to rural areas. But aside
from being the oldest running wind turbine company, the Jacobs brand is
billed to be among the more affordable and reliable wind energy systems
made available to consumers. They even had their own line of snow
blowers, battery-charged Hamilton Beach appliances, and an electric car!
Jacobs had its beginnings in wind engines during development, but it was
realized that wind engines did not turn fast enough to power a
generator. Through field tests they settled for the spring-hinged
three-rotor design that we now commonly associate with utility-scale
turbines. With their new design also came a redesigned fly-ball
governor to keep the mill rotating steadily during inconsistent wind
gusts.
The Jacobs brand sold tens of thousands of turbines in its early days
from their Minnesota plant. They were not just used for farm
applications; the turbines could be found at relay stations,
lighthouses, and weather stations across the country. Jacobs
gained world fame when Admiral Richard Byrd took a turbine with him to
explore Antarctica in 1933. The turbines were small in size and
power output, designed to charge a battery to power light bulbs, radios,
and small appliances.
Around 1980, the company initiated a re-launch of its products.
The new Florida-based company made Jacobs turbines available in a range
of sizes, designed for both utility and household use. Marcellus
Jacobs also helped initiate the American Wind Energy Association.
Jacobs turbines can still be purchased today.
Jacobs wind turbine
Photo from Jacobs Wind Energy
Alternative Energy
Although wind turbines were widely used to power individual homes in
rural areas, large-scale production of electricity through wind turbines
took considerably longer to develop. During the Great Depression,
power and sewage utilities were eventually brought to rural areas of the
country as a way of generating jobs and initiating economic growth in
agriculture. Unfortunately, fossil fuel burning power plants led
to the closure of many wind turbine and wind engine companies.
Despite the declining popularity of wind machines, research slowly
continued on improving wind turbines. The first and, arguably, the
most famous of these experiments was the Smith-Putnam turbine at
Grandpa's Knob near Castelton, VT. When it was completed in 1941,
it was the world's largest and most efficient wind turbine at a capacity
of 1 Megawatt. It later proved to be too large for its own good;
when one of its massive steel rotors cracked from stress, the project
was abandoned so that materials could be rationed for World War II.
NASA and the U. S. Department of Energy created larger and more
efficient turbines in remote areas of the country during the 1960s.
But it wasn't until the first major oil crisis of the 1970s that wind
power was reconsidered as a permanent alternative energy source.
In Denmark and Germany, tests were conducted with different materials
and styles of sails to create more efficient turbines. In fact, it
was during this time that the modern utility wind turbine was developed.
The slender, curved, three-sail steel and fiberglass turbines we now see
across our country were first perfected by companies like Vestas in
Denmark.
The Smith-Putnam Turbine
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Modern Developments
California became the first state to use a large number of wind
turbines to supplement the power grid. At Altamont Pass, thousands
of turbines ranging in size, shape, manufacturer, and age turn
peacefully from oncoming Pacific winds. Jacobs wind turbines,
among others, are employed here.
With recent oil crises in the 2000s, wind energy was again revisited as
a permanent alternative to fossil fuels; this time, Illinois and other
states invested in the construction of utility-scale turbines.
When several wind turbines are spread over several acres, a “wind farm”
is born (this is also their name because most turbines must be situated
in the country without obstructions from buildings). Depending on
the size of the farm and the turbines’ capacities, one wind farm could
supply enough electricity for nearly 100,000 homes and businesses.
The first wind farm built in Illinois was Mendota Hills. 63 Gamesa
turbines dot Lee County, which are visible from I-88 and I-39; but to
truly appreciate their size and beauty, it is best to see them from the
country roads that wind through Mendota and Paw Paw. Since 2003,
tens of wind farms have been constructed in Illinois. In fact, by
the end of the 2010s, more than three quarters of the states had
large-scale wind turbines installed, with more being constructed.
A view of the Mendota Hills Wind Farm in Illinois
Photo by Tom Haskell
Controversy
Advantages
- Land is leased out by farmers who receive payment.
- Construction and maintenance creates new jobs.
- Excess electricity is sold to power suppliers.
- Electricity generated from the turbines directly emits no
pollution.
- Visually interesting.
Disadvantages
- Compared to traditional power plants, turbines do not generate
much electricity
- It takes electricity to make electricity. Each turbine
requires power to operate its computer, cooling and heating systems,
and regulating controls.
- Turbines generate electricity when the wind blows, but can go to
waste if there is no immediate demand for that power.
Conversely, traditional power plants must accommodate power loss if
wind turbines are not functioning (either from maintenance or lack
of wind).
- Turbines have a twenty year life span.
- Visually unappealing.
Potential Hazards
In the past few years, a number of web sites and web logs (blogs)
dedicated to wind farm opposition have been developed, highlighting
the side-effects of wind farms. Alleged impacts and potential
hazards of wind turbines include: lower property values; radar and
radio interference; stray voltage; dead birds; shadow flickers;
flinging ice in winter; a possible link to cancer; and “wind
turbine syndrome,” a phrase coined by Dr. Nina Pierpont (author
of the book by the same) who believes that the low frequencies
generated by the turbines have adverse effects on the human body.
Unfortunately, not much is known about a turbine’s local impact
because never before have turbines been constructed in such large
numbers. It could take several years before we discover their
long-term effects (if any). But what we do know is that wind
turbines are susceptible to wind damage, fire, and brake failure as
all wind-powered machines are. Fortunately, these are rare
occurrences that can be prevented with proper maintenance.
