| With the growing need to discover and explore | | | | electricity. People with their own off-grid w. farms |
| renewable and environmentally-friendly sources of | | | | strive to use the power harnessed to beat rising |
| energy, wind farms are an option many are opting | | | | electricity costs and maintain a self sufficiency that |
| for. With the many problems surrounding energy | | | | can be easier on the wallet and the environment. In |
| prices and usage of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, | | | | some cases, people tie up their small wind generators |
| wind farms are now being developed in various parts | | | | to the electric grid and simply transfer the extra, |
| of the world. With wind being a clean and | | | | unused electric power back into the grid for |
| inexhaustible source of energy, wind farms are a | | | | monetary credit or later usage. Some wind farm |
| credible replacement for the otherwise standard | | | | owners also sell their excess power to centralized |
| energy generation processes i.e. coal, natural gas, oil | | | | power utilities. When this is done, utilizing the same |
| and nuclear generation facilities. | | | | power distribution line that carries power to your |
| Wind farms essentially constitute a location where a | | | | property or business, this is also known as net |
| sizable group of wind turbines are erected for the | | | | metering. |
| purpose of energy generation. These turbines work | | | | On-Grid Wind Farms: Wind farms that sell the power |
| to convert the wind's kinetic energy to mostly | | | | they produce to electrical grids, qualify as on-grid w. |
| electric and sometimes mechanical energy. The | | | | farms. It is basically the production of wind energy |
| turbines, at times even a 100 in number, are | | | | for commercial use. Energy projects like these |
| interconnected and cover a large geographical area. | | | | typically involve a PPA or power purchase |
| Powered by the wind's strength and speed, the | | | | agreement, between the energy supplier and the |
| blades of the turbines transform the wind's kinetic | | | | buyer. The buyers are normally utilities or bigger |
| energy to a more usable form of energy. This power | | | | co-operative or industrial factions. Power purchase |
| from the turbines is collected by an integrated | | | | agreements are drawn up to set various guidelines |
| system and then supplied to transformers to increase | | | | for both the buying and selling parties, involving |
| their voltage, generally at a substation. Electric power | | | | finances, legalities, damages, the sharing of risk and |
| supplied by the generators, can be put to work at | | | | project timelines among others. Also, stipulated are |
| private homes, businesses, factories, farms etc. | | | | matters related to environmental issues, a key factor |
| There are two types of wind farming practices, | | | | today. Some of the hurdles to overcome in order to |
| depending on how the energy generated is used i.e. | | | | ensure a successful relationship for a productive |
| off-grid and on-grid wind farms. | | | | renewable energy project are the ability of existing |
| Off-Grid Wind Farms: When wind farms do not | | | | power grids to handle the newly developing load |
| outsource their power to electric grids, they are | | | | demands, extensive and overcrowded power lines |
| known as off-grid wind farms. The power generated | | | | and transmission issues. Therefore, an extremely |
| is essentially used for their own, personal purposes. | | | | important factor that determines the viability of an |
| Farmers, factory owners, homeowners or even just | | | | on-grid w. farm is the transmission study that |
| the environmentally conscious can choose to | | | | assesses the current and potential future load |
| generate their own renewable power and put it to | | | | (queue) impacts, amongst other technical items, on |
| use according to their needs. This is also a boon for | | | | the existing transmission line to be tied into. |
| people living in remote areas, with limited access to | | | | |