Wind power stations in Xinjiang, China

Wind Energy
Part I
Instructor: Dr Waqas Khalid
Contact: waqaskhalid@smme.nust.edu.pk
Phone: 6098
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 Facts of Wind Energy
Wind energy is another form of renewable energy which is available in abundant and is
renewable. So, there will always be constant supply of it.

The initial cost to set up wind energy is very high and requires huge initial investment, but
once it starts working, it is one of the cheapest form of electricity to maintain.

 Wind energy is a form of solar energy which describes the process by which
wind used to generate electricity. The use of wind energy is growing rapidly
because it is abundant, cheap, clean, widely available and environment friendly.

 The wind turbines effectiveness depends on the location where they are placed.
Ideally, wind turbines should be located where there are constant flow of wind
throughout the year.

 Denmark , U.S, Germany, India, France, U.K, Spain, China, Italy and Portugal
are the top ten nations where wind turbines are used most efficiently.

 Wind energy uses the kinetic energy of the wind and turns into electrical energy.
Initial cost are quite steep but in the long run they prove to be much cost
effective.
 Facts of Wind Energy
 In the year 2018, wind energy accounted 9.6% of the total electricity
production in the world. In 2017, it was estimated about 4.4% of the
worldwide electric power usage providing 11.6% of electricity in European
Union
 Denmark-highest penetration of wind power (43.4% of consumed
electricity from wind in 2017)
 Wind energy approximately cost $1 million per megawatt to install and one
megawatt of wind energy.

 Wind turbines are relatively quiet. Improved engineering and appropriate

setback from homes mitigates noise issues.

 At the appropriate setback from homes, a wind turbine makes the sound
equivalent of a common kitchen refrigerator.

 The opposition usually met from a proposed wind farm development comes
down to the "NIMBY" factor (not in my backyard).
 Facts of Wind Energy
Wind energy is the only power generation technology that can deliver the necessary
cuts in CO2 in the critical period up to 2020, when greenhouse gases must peak and
begin to decline to avoid dangerous climate change.

The 120.8 GW of global wind capacity will produce 260 TWh and save 158 million
tons of CO2 every year.

The wind industry also creates many new jobs: over 400,000 people are now employed
in this industry, and that number is expected to be in the millions in the near future.

The cost of electricity from the wind has dropped from about 25 cents/kWh in 1981 to
averaging near 2 cents/kWh in 2017

Though wind turbine prices have increased some since 2005, in areas with the best
resources, wind power is cost competitive with new generation from coal and natural
gas plants.
 Environmental Concerns
Wind power is a clean renewable energy source. There are, however some
environmental considerations to keep in mind when planning a wind power
scheme.

They include the following:

 Electromagnetic interference - some television frequency bands are

susceptible to interference from wind generators.

 Noise - wind rotors, gearboxes and generators create acoustic noise when
functioning; this needs to be considered when siting a machine.

 Visual impact - modern wind machines are large objects and have a
significant visual impact on their surroundings. Some argue that it is a
positive visual impact, others to the contrary.
Worldwide Installed Wind Power Capacity
Share of world Installed wind energy
Rest of the world
3%

Asia Pacific
31%
Europe & Eurasia
44%

North America
22%
Share of world Installed wind energy by region & country, 2018
Cost for per unit of electricity generation From Wind
Cost for per unit of electricity generation From Wind
Wind & Solar Energy Installations

Source: www.fi.powerweb.com

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Source: www.fi.powerweb.com
 Wind Energy Basics
Winds are caused by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the roughness of the
Earth surface and Earth's rotation.

The term wind power describes the process by which wind is used to make the
mechanical energy or electricity.

Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind energy into mechanical power.

This mechanical power may be used for certain activities (such as milling of rice or
pumping water) or a generator can convert mechanical energy to electrical energy at
home, business, schools and other facilities.

A group of wind turbines can make electricity for the utility grid. The electricity is sent
through transmission and distribution lines to homes, businesses, schools, and so on.

Generally, average annual wind speeds of at least 4.0-4.5 m/s are needed for a small
wind turbine to produce enough electricity to be cost-effective.
 Wind Turbines
Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind energy into mechanical power.

If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind
generator

If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or
pumping water, the device is called a windmill or wind pump.

There are two main families of windmills/wind generators:

Vertical axis machines (VAWT)

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)

The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging or auxiliary
power on sailing boats;
while large grid-connected arrays of turbines are becoming an increasingly large source
of commercial electric power.
Wind Turbines
 Classification of Wind turbines
Principles of wind energy conversion
There are two primary physical principles by which energy can be
extracted from the wind;

These are through the creation of either drag or lift force (or through a
combination of the two).
 Drag And Lift Force
Drag Force
Hold a piece of paper by the top edges, as shown in left side of the figure below.
Blow directly at the paper.
The bottom of the paper should flip up as shown.
This is the type of force used on drag-based wind turbines like the Savonius rotor
 Drag And Lift Force
Lift Force
Hold a piece of paper by the edges, as shown in left side of the figure below.
The edge that you’re holding should be parallel to the ground, while the unsupported
edge should be hanging down.
Blow directly above the edge of the paper that you’re holding.
The paper should lift. The higher velocity on the top creates a reduced pressure
(Bernoulli’s effect). This is the type of force used on lift based wind turbines.
 Vertical axis machines (VAWT)
A type of wind turbine in which the axis of
rotation is perpendicular to the wind stream
and the ground.

VAWTs work somewhat like a classical

water wheel in which water arrives at a
right angle (perpendicular) to the rotational
axis (shaft) of the water wheel.

Vertical-axis wind turbines fall into two

major categories:

i. Darrieus turbines and

ii. Savonius turbines.

 Vertical axis machines (VAWT)

Savnoius type Wind Turbines

Darrieus type Wind Turbines
Rotates by drag force For the Darrieus the driving wind
forces are lift,
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Horizontal axis wind turbines, also shortened to HAWT, are the common style that most
of us think of when we think of a wind turbine.

A HAWT has a similar design to a windmill, it has blades that look like a propeller that
spin on the horizontal axis. The dominant driving force is lift

Two- and three-bladed rotors are common for electricity generation.

The three-bladed rotors operate more smoothly and, generally, more quietly than two-
bladed
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Most horizontal axis turbines built today are
two- or three-bladed, although some have
fewer or more blades.

Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) have

the main rotor shaft and electrical generator
at the top of a tower, and must be pointed
into the wind.

The purpose of the rotor is to convert the

linear motion of the wind into rotational
energy that can be used to drive a generator.

Small turbines are pointed by a simple wind

vane, while large turbines generally use a
wind sensor coupled with a servo motor.
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Wind turbines convert wind energy to electricity for distribution. Conventional
horizontal axis turbines can be divided into three components:

1. The rotor component, which is approximately 20% of

the wind turbine cost, includes the blades for
converting wind energy to low speed rotational energy.

2. The generator component, which is approximately 34%

of the wind turbine cost, includes the electrical
generator, the control electronics, and most likely a
gearbox, component for converting the low speed
incoming rotation to high speed rotation suitable for
generating electricity.

3. The structural support component, which is

approximately 15% of the wind turbine cost, includes
the tower and rotor yaw mechanism