How to use a Gold in Wind Turbines - Case Study Example

One of the ways of embracing the sustainable activities is through employing wind power in the production of electric energy instead of using fossil fuels to produce electricity (Jamieson 2012). The gadget that converts wind energy to electric energy is wind turbine. The use of wind turbine to produce electricity has been in existence for some time now. However, it was not until people realized that other sources of energy such as fossil fuel and nuclear energy among others degrade environment that wind turbine was widely used to produce electricity (Mathew & Philip 2011).

Basically, wind turbine produces electric energy by conversion of the wind’s kinetic energy to electric energy. Wind turbine is made up of a number components which are made from various materials. These components include: turbine, hub, tower, generator, nacelle, gear box, yaw and control system among others (Ancona & McVeigh 2001). Just as mentioned earlier, the components are made from various materials depending on the environment of operation of the components, and the use into which these components are put in the wind turbine.

The materials from which these components are made include: gold, plastics, iron, copper, steel and rubber among others (Blaabjerg & Chen 2006). This paper, therefore, aims at identifying as well as discussing the various ways in which gold is currently used in wind turbine components. The paper will also identify the new ways in which gold can be used in wind turbines. The paper also discusses the various components of wind turbine. The main components of wind turbines Just as earlier mentioned, the main components of wind turbine are: turbine, rotor, tower, generator, nacelle, gear box, yaw and control system among others.

These components play various specific roles in order to ensure that wind turbine functions perfectly. The descriptions as well as functions of these wind turbine components have been discussed in the preceding sections of the paper. Rotor Rotor is amongst the most important components of wind turbine, and it includes: turbine spinner, turbine hub and blades (normally three in number). The blades of wind turbines also considered amongst the important parts of a wind turbine, and are normally fabricated from the following materials: balsa wood, fiber glass, composites, and carbon fiber among other components (Burton, Jenkins, & Sharpe 2011).

The strength-to-weight ratio of these components is normally high, and that’s why they are used in the manufacture of these components. Typically the dimensions of these blades range between 34 meters to 55 meters (Jamieson 2012). When the blades are manufactured, the raw materials are moulded into shapes that resemble airfoils in order to generate lift effect which in turn makes the rotor to rotate. In order to avoid blades from being stricken by lightning, they are sufficiently earthed in addition to being made of materials that can protect them being stricken by lightning (Manwell, McGowan, & Rogers 2010).

The blades are usually bolted on the hub in such way that the hub is able to rotate, and take advantage of the wind’s varying speeds. The hub of wind turbine is normally made from cast iron that is ductile in nature, and usually considered as one of components of wind turbine with the greatest weight (Mathew & Philip 2011). This component of the wind turbine is usually rigid, and is designed in such a way that it is able to absorb vibrational forces. The hub is further covered by a component known as