News of the climate crisis is constantly aired on our TVs and written about in newspapers, and for good reason. The global temperature is continuing to rise and is likely going to reach at least 1C of warming for the next five years. This could have catastrophic consequences for life on Earth now and in the future. That’s why governments around the world are looking for ways to slow temperature increases and protect the environment. Wind turbines have become a popular way to generate green energy, but how do they work and what about wind turbine transport?
The wind energy industry in the UK has continued to grow in response to the climate emergency. Wind power has become one of the most important sources of green energy, with the cumulative capacity of wind power reaching a total of 24,771 megawatts in 2018. That rise is set to continue for on and offshore wind and will provide us with our much-needed energy. Wind turbines are huge and impressive pieces of machinery and it takes a gargantuan effort to complete wind turbine transport projects. To give you some more insight, we’ll cover what wind turbines are and the challenges associated with wind turbine blade transport and much more.
From Wind Turbine Technology To Wind Turbine Transport: Everything You Need To Know
Wind turbine technology has emerged as one of the leading forms of renewable energy across the world. Harnessing the power of the wind, both on and offshore, generates clean energy for the national grid as fossil fuels are increasingly phased out. There are, of course, challenges with the technology.
Wind turbines, when based on land, are usually located far away from cities where the energy is most needed. As well as this, the land that is used can often be used for several other purposes which creates competition and there are some negative impacts of wind turbines on the wildlife.
However, for these faults, wind power is a cost-effective and clean source of energy. As well as this, it’s domestic and doesn’t need to be imported, is built on already existing land and even creates jobs which fuel the economy.
A Brief History of Wind Turbines
The power of wind has been harnessed for thousands of years. Initially used as a means to power boats up and down the rivers of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, transforming wind into power has developed over the centuries. In ancient China and Persia, wind-power was used to pump water and as a way to grind grain into flour.
This early use for wind would stick for thousands of years and progress across Europe and, eventually, America. Traditionally, wind power has always been used to grind grain, pump water and fuel sawmills. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, windmills began being used to generate electricity – which is what they are primarily used for today. Although this use didn’t stick for long during this period, it gained new traction during the late 20th century and over the past few decades into the giant industry we know today.
The Developing Technology of Wind Turbines
Although the technology to generate electricity from the wind had been obvious since the late 1900s, it was not fully exploited until much later. Wind turbines had popped up here and there, but only when a fuel crisis hit in the 1970s were governments faced with the stark reality that they may have to look outside of fossil fuel energy.
Since then, the use of wind turbine energy – and changes in its technology – has grown exponentially. Cumulative wind capacities have continued to grow from thousands to hundreds of thousands of megawattage. Wind turbines have gotten bigger and more efficient which has allowed them to generate more power. As engineers have begun to understand the technology more, they can create wind turbines in larger quantities which only continues the increase in power generation.
One of the main areas of development for wind turbines has been the blades. Blades have been configured to harness as much of the power of the wind as possible, by making them huge. The 12MW Haliade-X wind turbine – set to arrive in 2022 – will have the world’s largest blades to date at 107m. The entire turbine will be nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower!
How Turbines Work and Are Used
The operation of wind turbines is relatively straightforward. Wind currents in the air turn the propeller blades of a turbine which then spins a generator. The spinning of this generator creates electricity which is harnessed, stored and transported to the grid where it can be used. The blades are a critical part of the process and are why they have seen so many innovations in the past few decades. By ensuring that the blades are as aerodynamic as possible, the wind flowing across the blades creates both lift and drag.
The lift created by the wind is stronger than the drag behind the blade and, therefore, the blades will spin and create valuable energy. As the wind blows across the blades, the rotor will either connect directly to a generator or through gears which can speed up the spinning of the generator. The gear system means that generators can be smaller and the turbine more efficient.
The Challenges Associated With Wind Turbine Blade Transport and Wind Power Transportation
As mentioned previously, wind turbines are huge pieces of machinery. The blades alone are gargantuan, at around 50 meters long and with plans to expand them to more than 100 meters in the future. As you can image, this creates a wide range of challenges for wind turbine blade transportation. Hauling wind turbine blades from the production factory to their – usually rural – location involves a high-level of planning and logistics.
Each turbine blade must be strapped to a large-load truck which can handle the capacity. From there, transportation specialists like T.W. Bowler must navigate motorways, winding roads and hills to get the blades to their destination. Planning here is everything. Once a lorry this heavy and large gets stuck, it’s incredibly difficult to free it. Using expert driving skills, foreplanning and hydraulics, these trucks can twist and turn the blades on the back of trucks to ensure that they don’t collide with anything en-route.
There is no sign that wind turbines are going to get any smaller – far from it. So this challenge will continue to be prevalent. For this reason, wind turbine blade transport should always be left to specialist hauliers – like T.W. Bowler – who have the necessary skill and experience.
T.W. Bowler: Providing Wind Turbine Transport Services Across The UK, Ireland and Europe
Here at T.W. Bowler, we have more than seven decades of experience working in the abnormal transport industry. We help businesses and organisations complete their abnormal load movements without any fuss. As one of the most trusted abnormal transport companies in the North West, we provide a reliable way for you to haul goods across the country and international borders.
Our fleet of vehicles are trustworthy, reliable and can handle loads of up to an astonishing 300 tonnes! As well as standard abnormal load movements like plant machinery, we can also handle more specialist requirements. Our team of professionals can ensure that your wind turbine blade transport project goes smoothly
To find out more about our services, please feel free to contact us today. You can find us at our business address at SK6 2TF, Stockport, England, United Kingdom. Alternatively, call us on 07710 558 426 or 0161 487 3363.
