27 Have you ever seen an offshore wind farm? Where are offshore wind farms located in Europe? At present, wind power in Italy provides electricity to cover 6-7% of the whole national demand. WIND POWER How wind power works Wind power is a renewable form of energy which uses the kinetic energy of wind for the production of electricity. Wind power plants, also called wind farms, consist of a number of wind turbines installed in an area, which can be on the land or offshore . The wind turbine consists of: a tall tower, generally 85 to 115 metres high, on top of which rotating blades are mounted; two or three blades, which can be 10 to 85 metres long; a rotor with a hub on which the blades are mounted. blade: pala gearbox: trasmissione hub: mozzo offshore: in mare aperto shaft: albero di trasmissione wind farm: centrale eolica The turbine has a box behind the rotor, called the gearbox, which is connected to a main shaft attached to a generator. The function of the gearbox is to increase the rotation speed to make it possible for the generator to start. The rotational movement produced by the wind on the blades is transferred to the main shaft inside the box and from it to the generator, which produces electricity. The power produced flows through the cables placed inside the tower, which are connected to transmission lines for the distribution . Pros and cons of wind power Wind power is a totally clean source of energy since it produces no emissions and consequently, no pollution. However, it is not universally considered a solution to the problem of energy production for the following reasons: it is highly dependent on weather and climate conditions; wind farms can work properly only in windy areas; for this reason, producing electricity by wind power is not possible everywhere; some people believe wind turbines to be ugly and spoil the landscape; wind turbines can be harmful for local wildlife, as birds, for example, may be hit by the rotating blades. For these reasons, countries cannot employ wind power as their main source of electricity. However, it may be a good power source to integrate electricity production from non-renewable sources, both because it reduces pollution and because it contributes to reduce the risk of runout. 72 ELECTRICITY