Wind Energy

POWER GENERATION SYSTEM
§Clean, zero emissions

§ Air Quality, Water Quality
§ Climate Change
§Reduce Fossil Fuel dependence
§ Energy Independence
§ Domestic Energy
§Renewable
§ No Fuel Cost
§Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, variations in the earth's
surface, and rotation of the earth. Mountains, water, and vegetation all influence wind flow
patterns.
§Wind power, form of energy conversion in which Turbines convert the Kinetic
Energy of Wind into Mechanical then generator can convert Mechanical energy to
electrical energy.
§Wind power is considered a Renewable Energy Source. Historically, Wind Power in the form
of windmills has been used for centuries for such tasks as grinding grain and pumping water.
§Modern commercial Wind Turbines produce Electricity by using Rotational Energy to drive
an Electrical generator. They are made up of a blade or rotor and an enclosure called a
Nacelle that contains a drive train atop a tall tower.
§The largest Turbines can produce 4.8–9.5 MW, have a rotor diameter that may extend more
than 162 metres (about 531 feet), and are attached to towers approaching 240 metres (787
feet) tall.
§The most common types of Wind Turbines (which produce up to 1.8 megawatts) are much
smaller with a blade length of approximately 40 metres (about 130 feet) and are attached to
towers roughly 80 metres (about 260 feet) tall.
§Smaller Turbines can be used to provide power to individual homes. Wind farms are areas
where a number of Wind Turbines are grouped together, providing a larger Total Energy
source.
§Wind resources are calculated based on the Average Wind Speed and the distribution of wind
speed values occurring within a particular area.
§Areas are grouped into wind power classes that range from 1 to 7. A wind power class
equivalent to a wind power density of 150–200 watts per square metre, or a mean wind of
5.1–5.6 metres per second [11.4–12.5 miles per hour]) is suitable for utility-scale wind power
generation.
§As of 2018 the largest Wind Farm in the world was the Jiuquan Wind Power Base, an array
of more than 7,000 wind Turbines in China’s Gansu province that produces more than 6,000
megawatts of power.
§One of the world’s largest offshore active Wind Farms, the London Array, spans an area of
122 square km (about 47 square miles) and produces up to 630 megawatts of power. In 2020,
Hornsea One span an area of 407 square km (about 157 square miles) near
England’s Yorkshire coast, will be even larger, producing about 1,200 megawatts of power.
§Electricity generation by Wind has been increasing dramatically because of concerns over the
cost of Petroleum and the effects of Fossil Fuel combustion on the Climate and Environment.
§China and the United States possessed the greatest installed wind capacity, and
Denmark generated the largest percentage of its electricity from Wind (nearly 38 percent).
§The wind power industry estimates that the world could feasibly generate nearly 20 percent
of its total electricity from wind power by 2030.
§Various estimates put the cost of wind energy per kilowatt-hour as low depending on the
location. This is comparable to the cost of coal, natural gas, and other forms of fossil energy.
§Three key factors affect the amount of energy a Turbine can harness from the Wind:
§Wind Speed, Air Density, and Swept Area.
§1.Wind Speed
§Wind speed largely determines the amount of electricity generated by a turbine. Higher wind
speeds generate more power because stronger winds allow the blades to rotate faster. Faster
rotation translates to more mechanical power and more electrical power from the generator.
§Turbines are designed to operate within a specific range of wind speeds. The limits of the
range are known as the cut-in speed and cut-out speed.
§The cut-in speed is the point at which the wind turbine is able to generate power. Between
the cut-in speed and the rated speed, where the maximum output is reached, the power output
will increase cubically with wind speed.
§For example, if wind speed doubles, the power output will increase 8 times. This cubic
relationship is what makes wind speed such an important factor for wind power. This cubic
dependence does cut out at the rated wind speed.
§This leads to the relatively flat part of the curve in Figure 1, so the cubic dependence is
during the speeds below 15 m/s (54 kph).
§The cut-out speed is the point at which the
Turbine must be shut down to avoid damage
to the equipment.
§The cut-in and cut-out speeds are related to
the Turbine design and Size and are decided
on prior to construction.
Figure 1: Arbitrary power curve of a 1 MW wind turbine compared to wind

speed. Notice the cut out speed.
§Power output is related to the local Air density, which is a function of
Altitude, Pressure, and Temperature.
§Dense Air exerts more pressure on the rotors, which results in higher power output.
§Wind Turbines are designed to Maximize the rotor blade radius to increase
power output.
§Larger blades allow the Turbine to capture more of the Kinetic Energy of the
Wind by moving more Air through the Rotors.
§However, larger blades require more space and higher Wind Speeds to operate.
as a general rule, Turbines are spaced out at Four times the rotor diameter.
§This distance is necessary to avoid interference between turbines.
§1.Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
§VAWTs typically fall into two main design classes: Lift-based or Drag-based.
§2.Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

§HAWTs have a propeller-style design, with either two or three blades that rotate around a
horizontal axis. Currently, horizontal axis turbines are the most common, particuarly in
commercial and utility scale markets (greater than 100 kW capacity).
§Horizontal axis Turbines are either "upwind" (the wind hits the blades before the tower) or
"downwind" (the wind hits the tower before the blades).
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine
Vertical-Axis Turbines
Advantages
o Uniform-directional
- accepts wind from any direction
o Components can be mounted at ground level
- ease of service
- lighter weight towers
o Can theoretically use less materials to capture the same amount of wind.
Vertical Axis Turbines
Disadvantages
§Rotors generally near ground where wind is poorer
§Centrifugal force stresses blades
§Poor self-starting capabilities
§Requires support at top of turbine rotor
§Requires entire rotor to be removed to replace bearings
§Overall poor performance and reliability
Horizontal Axis Turbines
Small (<10 kW) Intermediate (10-250 kW) Large (250 kW-2+ MW)
oHomes oVillage Power oCentral Station Wind Farms
oFarms oHybrid Systems oDistributed Power System
oRemote Applications oDistributed Power
(e.g., water pumping,
Telecom sites, ice
making)
§The "size" of a Wind Turbine typically refers to its Capacity.
§Small Wind Turbines are generally defined as those with a capacity of 100 kilowatts and less.
§According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Residential-scale Turbines
generally have a rated capacity of 10 kW or less, and Wind Turbines with a rated capacity
between 10 kW and 20kW are known as "Utility-scale" Wind Turbines.
§Whereas Commercial-scale turbines are those with a rated capacity between 21kW and 100kW.
§The main components of a wind turbine are shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Wind Turbine.

§Anemometer: Measures the wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller.
§Blades: Most turbines have either two or three blades. Wind blowing over the blades causes the
blades to "lift" and rotate.
§Brake: A disc brake, which can be applied mechanically, electrically, or hydraulically to stop the
rotor in emergencies.
§Controller: The controller starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 miles per hour
(mph) and shuts off the machine at about 55 mph. Turbines do not operate at wind speeds above
about 55 mph because they might be damaged by the high winds.
§Gear box: Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational
speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1000 to 1800 rpm, the rotational
speed required by most generators to produce electricity. The gear box is a costly (and heavy) part
of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring "direct-drive" generators that operate at lower
rotational speeds without gear box.
§Generator: Induction generator that produces electricity.
§High-speed shaft: Drives the generator.
§Low-speed shaft: The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute.
§Nacelle: The nacelle sits atop the tower and contains the gear box, low- and high-speed
shafts, generator, controller, and brake.
§Pitch: Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the
rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity.
§Rotor: The blades and the hub together are called the rotor.
§Tower: Towers are made from tubular steel, concrete, or steel lattice. Because wind speed
increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more
electricity.
§Wind direction: This is an "upwind" turbine, so-called because it operates facing into the
wind. Other turbines are designed to run "downwind," facing away from the wind.
§Wind vane: Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the
turbine properly with respect to the wind.
§Yaw drive:
§Upwind turbines face into the wind; the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the
wind as the wind direction changes.
§Downwind turbines don't require a yaw drive, the wind blows the rotor downwind.
§Yaw motor: Powers the yaw drive.
§Challenges to the large-scale implementation of wind energy include siting requirements
such as wind availability, aesthetic and environmental concerns, and land availability.
§Wind farms are most cost-effective in areas with consistent strong winds; however, these
areas are not necessarily near large population centres. Thus, power lines and other
components of electrical distribution systems must have the capacity to transmit this
electricity to consumers.
§In addition, since wind is an intermittent and inconsistent power source, storing power may
be necessary.
§Public advocacy groups have raised concerns about the potential disruptions that wind farms
may have on wildlife and overall aesthetics.
§Although wind generators have been blamed for injuring and killing birds, experts have
shown that modern turbines have a small effect on bird populations.
Main Components of Wind Turbines
Operation of Wind Turbines

Wind Energy

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POWER GENERATION SYSTEM

§Clean, zero emissions

Figure 1: Arbitrary power curve of a 1 MW wind turbine compared to wind

§2.Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Figure 2: Wind Turbine.

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