full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor: How do wind turbines work?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Despite its amazing potential, wind erengy still feacs challenges. Wind may be a free and unlimited fuel, but no matter how lgrae or efficient a turbine is there's a mathematical limit to how much wind it can convert into electricity. German physicist Albert Betz calculated that since some wind must remain to keep the blades spinning, a trbinue can only ever capture 59.3% of the wind’s energy. Additionally, some people feel turbines disrupt natural scenery, and wind energy’s intermittent availability can make it difficult to integrate into electrical grids.

But even with these challenges, modern wind turbines have made wind energy the most eifncfeit and inexpensive srocue of electricity. Wind turbines already provide essential energy for ciiunmmtoes around the wrlod. And for many farmers, honitsg a wind turbine can be a reliable source of additional income. With continued improvements in wind forecasting, electrical grid icusurftnratre and energy storage, wind power might blow away all our energy problems.

Open Cloze


Despite its amazing potential, wind ______ still _____ challenges. Wind may be a free and unlimited fuel, but no matter how _____ or efficient a turbine is there's a mathematical limit to how much wind it can convert into electricity. German physicist Albert Betz calculated that since some wind must remain to keep the blades spinning, a _______ can only ever capture 59.3% of the wind’s energy. Additionally, some people feel turbines disrupt natural scenery, and wind energy’s intermittent availability can make it difficult to integrate into electrical grids.

But even with these challenges, modern wind turbines have made wind energy the most _________ and inexpensive ______ of electricity. Wind turbines already provide essential energy for ___________ around the _____. And for many farmers, _______ a wind turbine can be a reliable source of additional income. With continued improvements in wind forecasting, electrical grid ______________ and energy storage, wind power might blow away all our energy problems.

Solution


  1. turbine
  2. source
  3. faces
  4. world
  5. large
  6. efficient
  7. communities
  8. energy
  9. infrastructure
  10. hosting

Original Text


Despite its amazing potential, wind energy still faces challenges. Wind may be a free and unlimited fuel, but no matter how large or efficient a turbine is there's a mathematical limit to how much wind it can convert into electricity. German physicist Albert Betz calculated that since some wind must remain to keep the blades spinning, a turbine can only ever capture 59.3% of the wind’s energy. Additionally, some people feel turbines disrupt natural scenery, and wind energy’s intermittent availability can make it difficult to integrate into electrical grids.

But even with these challenges, modern wind turbines have made wind energy the most efficient and inexpensive source of electricity. Wind turbines already provide essential energy for communities around the world. And for many farmers, hosting a wind turbine can be a reliable source of additional income. With continued improvements in wind forecasting, electrical grid infrastructure and energy storage, wind power might blow away all our energy problems.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
wind turbines 4
wind energy 3
rotational energy 3
wind turbine 3
kinetic energy 2
modern wind 2
horizontal axis 2
modern blades 2


Important Words


  1. additional
  2. additionally
  3. albert
  4. amazing
  5. availability
  6. betz
  7. blades
  8. blow
  9. calculated
  10. capture
  11. challenges
  12. communities
  13. continued
  14. convert
  15. difficult
  16. disrupt
  17. efficient
  18. electrical
  19. electricity
  20. energy
  21. essential
  22. faces
  23. farmers
  24. feel
  25. forecasting
  26. free
  27. fuel
  28. german
  29. grid
  30. grids
  31. hosting
  32. improvements
  33. income
  34. inexpensive
  35. infrastructure
  36. integrate
  37. intermittent
  38. large
  39. limit
  40. mathematical
  41. matter
  42. modern
  43. natural
  44. people
  45. physicist
  46. potential
  47. power
  48. problems
  49. provide
  50. reliable
  51. remain
  52. scenery
  53. source
  54. spinning
  55. storage
  56. turbine
  57. turbines
  58. unlimited
  59. wind
  60. world