Windmill Energy for Kids

The movement of air is called wind. So, we can say that wind energy is the energy produced by the movement of air. Now we wonder how the wind moves. So the answer to the question is the Sun is heating the earth's surface and due to this air getting heated and we know that hot air rises above the land. At the same time, we know that water heats slowly as compared to land and soil, so this uneven heating of water and soil causes a difference in the pressure of the atmosphere. As a result of uneven heating wind of air will be produced.

What is Wind Energy?

We know that the movement of air occurs due to the pressure difference of air; this difference occurs due to different heating of the surface. When sun rays enter the earth's surface, some areas are heated more than another area, so the air of a more heated area is hot as compared to air of a less heated area. So, this creates a pressure difference in the air because hot air is lighter and flows easily as compared to cold air. 

Now, we know that the air moves from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area. As a result of the movement of air from a high-pressure surface to a low-pressure surface, the wind is produced. Now, wind energy is produced by the movement of the turbine. The movement of the turbine produces mechanical energy and a generator attached to the turbine converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Windmill Energy for Kids

Wind energy is energy produced by the Movement of air. The energy produced by the movement of air is in the form of mechanical energy. Do you know what mechanical energy is? Mechanical energy is the energy produced by the movement of an object or due to the position of an object.  

Every child is aware of a toy called a wind fan. The concept of a windmill is the same as that of a wind fan. When we move fast the wind blade of the fan will also rotate faster, the same thing happens with the Windmill. The energy produced by the movement of blades is used to generate electricity. We can say that we are converting one form of energy to another for fulfilling our essential needs, i.e., electricity.

Showing Toy Windmill

Wind Turbine

So as we discussed above, mechanical wind energy is converted into electrical energy with the help of wind turbines. Let us understand how this is happening.

So what happened here is that the blades of the turbine move with the help of wind. This movement produces mechanical energy; now a turbine is attached to the generator, so the purpose of the generator is to convert mechanical energy which is produced by the movement of the blades of the fan into electrical energy. Everyone is aware of the fan which is used at home; so what happens in a fan is electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy and here in windmills it is the opposite - mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.

How Electricity is Generated in a Turbine

Wind Power

Electricity produced by the turbine in a windmill is called wind power. It is a renewable source of energy. Do you know what Renewable energy is?  Let’s discuss this. Renewable energy is the energy produced by natural sources like wind, water, and sunlight. These sources of energy are non-inexhaustible, that's why wind power is a renewable form of energy.

Complete Connection of Windmills to Generate Electricity

Uses of Wind Energy

• Used to Generate Electricity:

When a turbine moves with the help of air, it generates mechanical energy and this mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy.

• Wind Energy is Used in Milling  Grinds:

Wind energy is used to grind grains. Windmill blades are connected to the millstone; when grains are poured into the millstone, the motion of the blades grinds grains into flour.

• Wind Energy is Used in Pumping Water:

A device called a wind pump is used to pump water; wind energy is used to pump water upward.

Wind Pump

Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy

Advantages:

• Wind is a renewable source of energy; it is freely available in the environment. Hence, wind energy is a very cost-effective form of energy.

• Wind is a sustainable form of energy which means it can be produced again and again. 

• Wind energy cannot create pollution.

• It is a clean fuel.

• Reduce the use of fossil fuels for generating electricity.

Disadvantages:

• It is an unpredictable source of energy.

• Turbines can create threats to birds.

• The initial cost of setting up the windmill is high.

• Wind turbine can create a lot of noise.

Solved Examples

1. What are the requirements for setting up wind farms?

Ans: We require permission from the government; apart from this, the availability of wind is necessary for setting up a wind farm.

2. What is a renewable source of energy?

Ans: A renewable source of energy is a source of energy which can be replenished.

3. What are nonrenewable sources of energy?

Ans: A nonrenewable source of energy is a source of energy that cannot be non-replenished.

Summary

In this article, we learned about wind energy. Wind energy is a renewable source of energy which is used to generate electricity. Windmill is a device in which a turbine is present which is a fan-like structure and it is attached to a generator to generate electricity. Apart from electricity generation, windmills are used for many other purposes.