Want to know more about the mechanics of Whitelee's turbines?
How fast do the blades turn?
At their fastest the turbine blades can turn at 240 kph (160 mph). That’s quicker than a speeding train!
What are wind turbines made of?
The wind turbines have lots of different parts made from lots of different materials. The tower, nacelle and nose hub are primarily made of steel. This makes sure it is strong enough to hold the blades and withstand the power of the wind. The blades are made of fibre glass and wood which makes them flexible but extremely tough. The blades weigh around 12 tonnes each.
How tall are the turbines?
The Siemens turbines at Whitelee are 110 metres tall (when the blade is at its highest point).
How do turbines make electricity?
The turbines at Whitelee work like a fan in reverse. A traditional fan uses electricity to make the air move but turbines capture the wind to make electricity.
The three blades are specially designed to that ensures the wind can push them round. The moving blades are connected to a generator and when the generator turns it creates electricity.
How strong does the wind have to blow for the turbines to work?
The turbines need very little wind to start working – as slow as nine miles per hour.
What happens when it gets really windy?
Although turbines need wind to generate electricity, too much wind could cause extra stress on the blades and risk them becoming damaged. When it gets too windy for the turbines the blades change position so they don’t fully catch the wind and the turbines can even use their brakes to stop the blades from spinning.
What happenes when the wind doesn’t blow?
When the wind doesn’t blow the turbines don’t turn, but Whitelee was chosen after lots of investigating to ensure that it will be windy and that the turbines will turn more often than not.
How much space do turbines require?
The windfarm takes up very little space, in fact the turbines at Whitelee use less than five percent of the total land. The turbines are positioned in rows to make sure they get the maximum benefit of the wind. In each row the turbines are spaced five times their height apart. There is also a distance of three times the turbine’s height between the rows.
How long do turbines last for?
Turbines are typically operational for 20 years. However, after they have been decommissioned their parts can be recycled and used on other windfarms thus prolonging their life.
Why don’t the turbines have lots of blades?
People have been using the power of the wind for hundreds of years and during this time lots of different turbine designs have been tested. Scientists have discovered that the best turbine design is a tall tower with three blades.
How efficient are the turbines?
Wind turbines are powered by a free naturally produced resource and they are therefore extremely efficient. Once the turbines have been built the cost of making electricity is very small.
Related information
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Have you ever wondered how wind turbines work with the environment to produce electricity?
How many windfarms are there in Scotland? How many households can Whitelee power? What else can we do to fight climate change?
How much did it cost to build Whitelee Windfarm? How much electricity does each turbine produce?
