There is an increasing focus worldwide on renewable energy sources. Wind Power is one of the best forms of creating renewable energy. In this article we explore some of the basics of wind electricity generation.

A windmill is a device that converts wind energy in other forms of energy. In most cases this involves the wind energy being transformed into mechanical energy when the blades start to spin. It is this mechanical energy which is then transformed into electricity. Given that wind is a naturally occurring, free, renewable resource, the ability to make use of the wind for electricity generation makes it very useful in the current times of rising energy prices.

Wind energy is best utilised in farms and rural areas. It may also work in "suburbia", but is unlikely to be much use in densely populated areas due to the increased number of obstacles preventing the free flow of the wind.

There are two important prerequisites for the windmill:

* Ideally the windmill should be erected on an area of not less than one hectare. Any smaller than this and it won't work as well due to there being insufficient wind energy for the windmill to work.

* The average wind speed in this area should be about 11 mph. As stated above, try to avoid areas where the windflow is distorted. And of course, it pays to install it in area where there is good consistent wind strength.

To construct a windmill there are four main components :

* Blades -- responsible for the capture and utilisation of wind energy. Blades can be made of wood or plastic.

* Tower -- the basis of the system which must be high enough to make use of the wind. It should be constructed of a rigid material, such as poly-vinyl chloride.

* The shaft -- the shaft joins the blades to the tower and ensures that they rotate smoothly.

* The base -- the base holds everything together and ensures that it is solid and stable.