Wind power generation
Wind turbines have become a familiar sight on many coasts. We know that they harness the natural power of the wind to create electricity, but how do they work?
Motors and turbines (also called generators or dynamos) work in the same way except in reverse. A motor produces circular movement by having a current applied, whereas a generator produces electrical current by applying circular movement. Therefore, it is possible to turn a motorised appliance, such as a fan, into a generator. A bit like this following video (note - we want to produce 'direct current' and not 'alternating current', so make sure your fan runs on DC - i.e uses batteries or a transformer):
To most people free electricity from wind sounds great (and it is!), but there are critics. The following website has been set up (as it says) to 'stop these things!'. There is a lot of writing and strident claims on this website, but do any of them stack up (spoiler alert - not really!)? Take a look and see if you can poke holes in their arguments using your own research. Start with bold claims that have no, or dubious references.