The wind farms in souther Cali

Question

The wind farms in southern California contain generators whose power production varies directly with the cube of the wind's speed. If one generator produces 1000W (1kW) of power with a 25 mph wind, find the power it generates in a wind of 30 mph.
Also, tell how you know your answer is reasonable.

Answer 1

Sam,

           Using the information given we can write an equation for the power produced, P, as a function of the wind speed,WS and that is 

 

P=P0(WS/WS0)³ where P0=1kW and WS0=25 mph. For WS=30, P=1(30/25)³ = 1.728 kW.

 

Hope this helps

 

Jim