Crazy.
Originally posted on jpratt27:
Despite recent cuts to the renewable energy target in Australia, leaders elsewhere are looking to a future without coal. So what are our other options? Carl Smith guides us through Australia’s alternative energy sources—exploring how they work, their potential and why they aren’t used already.
How does it work?
Windmills have been used for hundreds of years, and wind turbines expand on the simplicity of that design—using a rotor, gearbox and generator to create power. The wind spins the blades, and the tower transfers that energy to the generator.
A typical 80-metre tower has blades that are around 44 metres tall. They’re huge structures, and wind turbines have gotten bigger over the years, with some now taller than 100 metres. The bid to build higher turbines is driven by the fact that there’s more wind at higher altitudes.
How much have we got?
Australia’s potential wind resource is…
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