Introduction

 A wind turbine is a device that converts the wind's kinetic energy into electrical
power.
 The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging
 for auxiliary power for boats or caravans or to power traffic warning signs.
 Larger turbines can be used for making contributions to a domestic power supply
while selling unused power back to the utility supplier via the electrical grid. Arrays
of large turbines, known as wind farms, are becoming an increasingly important
source of intermittent renewable
 energy and are used by many countries as part of a strategy to reduce
 their reliance on fossil fuels.
 Most early wind turbines were used to grind grain into flour, hence the name
“windmill.”
 Instead, people are using more accurate terminology: “wind generator,” “wind
turbine,” “wind-turbine generator” (WTG), and “wind energy conversion system”
(WECS) all are in use.
 In the US, the first wind-electric systems were built in
the late 1890’s
 Small capacity wind generators were built by the
1930s-1940s
 Due to low oil prices at the time, and problems with the wind
generator designs, interest generally declined.
 Interest picked up again in the early 1990s with increasing oil
prices, and improvements in wind generator technology.
 Ever since then, installation capacity has been increasing.
 China has become the leading nation in wind electricity
installations.
 Wind generation equipment is categorized into three general
classifications:

 1-Utility - Scale :Corresponds to large turbines (Usually more than 1.5 MW per turbine)
intended to generate bulk energy for sale in power markets.

 2-Industrial-Scale :Corresponds to medium sized turbines (50 kW to 800 kW), intended

for remote grid production, often in conjunction with diesel generation or load-side
generation (on the customer’s side of the meter) to reduce consumption of higher cost
grid power and possibly to even reduce peak loads.

 3-Residential-Scale :Corresponds to micro- and small-scale turbines (400 watts to 50

kW) intended for remote power, battery charging, or net metering type generation.
 The first phase in any wind generation development is the initial site
selection.
 For many developers / Technical Consultant the starting point of this
process involves looking at a chosen area in order to identify one or
more sites which may be suitable for development.
 Initial analyses should take account of all readily available published
environmental and technical data.
 The purpose of this phase is to identify suitable sites and define any
technical, commercial or environmental constraints in order that only
the most appropriate sites are taken forward.
 Constraints on the development.
 Maximum installed capacity (due to grid connection or Power
Purchase Agreement “PPA” terms).
 Site boundary.
 Distances from main roads, dwellings, overhead lines, ownership
boundaries.
 Environmental constraints.
 Location of noise-sensitive dwellings.
 Location of visually-sensitive view points.
 Location of dwellings that may be affected
 by ‘shadow flicker’ (flickering shadows cast
 by rotating blades) when the sun is in particular directions, and
assessment criteria.
 Turbine minimum spacing, as defined
 by the turbine supplier and technical study.
 Constraints associated with communications signals, for example
microwave link corridors or radar, telecommunication's towers.
To avoid having to make over-engineered wind turbines that could all
operate reliably on all sites, no matter how windy they were,
manufacturers design their wind turbines for a specific Wind Class:

 Wind Class 1 turbines are designed to cope with the tough operating
conditions experienced at sites with average wind speeds above 8.5
m/s. Typically these turbines have smaller rotors (i.e. shorter blades)
and are on shorter towers to minimize structural loads. They are also
heavier-duty in design, which makes them more expensive.
 Wind Class 2 turbines are for windier sites up to 8.5 m/s average,
and are the most common class of wind turbines available.
 A Wind Class 3 turbine is designed for an easy life with average wind
speeds up to 7.5 m/s, and these turbines typically have extra-large
rotors to allow them to capture as much energy as possible from the
lower wind speeds they are subjected to.
A- (VAWT) Blades spin in vertical axis :

Main advantages:
1-Heavy equipment (generator,
gearboxes) can be placed at the bottom,
which makes the Installations lighter.
2-Easy servicing for the generator.
3-No need for yaw control
(yaw control: rotation about vertical
axis to keep the blades facing into the wind).

Main disadvantages:
1-Blades are too close to ground (not enough wind speed).
2-major difficulties in protecting the turbine from extreme wind
conditions (wires used).
B- (HAWT)Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines:

1)Downwind: (have their rotors behind the wind)

Problem with wind shadowing effects:

When the blade swings behind the tower it encounters a brief period of reduced
wind, which causes the blade to flex. (blade flexing increases blade noise, reduces
power output and may, eventually, lead to blade failure).

2)Upwind: (directly face the wind)

More complex design to keep the propeller
facing the wind (yaw control),but provides
better power output, and operates much more
smoothly.

Most HAWT machines are Upwind.

3 blades turbines provide the best balance
between speed of rotation, number of blades , and minimum stress, and noise.
 The difference between VAWT and
TYPE Axis of Numbe
HAWT
Working Efficiency Area Location of Height
rotation r of wind at a given needed for installation
blades direction wind installatio
workin speed n
g at a
time

VAWT Vertical one In all wind Low Small area Cant be not
to ground blade directions because installed Problem
per one blade near Because
time per time population 1 blade
will
keep
rotating
no
matter
of
height
HAWT Horizonta 3 Works in a High Too much Can be and Problem:
l to blades specific Because area its Needs
ground all wind 3 blades designed wind at
time direction per time for urban ground
areas
Mechanical
subsystem

Electrical
subsystem
 Anemometers Cup: Measures the wind speed and 
transmits wind speed data to the controller.
Wind Vane: mechanical device attached to an 
elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction
of the wind.

Nacelle: is a cover housing that houses all of the 

generating components in a wind turbine, including the
generator, gearbox, drive train, and brake.
Turns (or pitches) : blades out of the wind to control 
the rotor speed, and to keep the rotor from turning in
winds that are too high or too low to produce
electricity.
The basic principle of operation is similar to that of the
airplane .
In addition to the lifting force, there is also the drag force
which pushed the blade back due to the effect of the wind.
The speed of the blade is higher at the tip than it is near the
hub, which can cause a different ratio between the drag force
and the lift force.
Therefore, the blade is twisted as you go towards the hub
the angle between the wind and the airfoil is referred to as
the angle of attack.
 **The blade must be sufficiently far from the tower
so that drag force does not cause the blade to hit
the tower.
 The Betz limit:
is the constraint that limits the ability of a wind turbine to
convert kinetic energy in the wind to mechanical power to spin
the turbine generator shaft.
The Betz Efficiency is about 59.3% or
“The Betz limit suggests that an ideal wind turbine
would slow
the wind to one third of its original speed.
Why wind farms?
1-Reduced site development costs.
2-Simplified connections to transmission lines.
3-More centralized access for operation and maintenance.

Divided into:
a.Offshore: installed In the sea example in U.S.
*one advantage is closer
access to coastal metropolitan
load centres (reduced transmission
costs)
*But access for maintenance can
be difficult.
*If located far enough from the shore, the noise impacts are
much less .
The developable offshore wind depends on:
wind speed water depth distance from the shore
 b.Onshore : installed on land, which takes a large area
*Appropriate spacing needs to be done between the wind
turbines.
*If generally the wind direction is known, it is possible to
place the turbines in an order such that the side-by-side
spacing is 5 rotor diameters, while the row-by-row spacing
is about 10 rotor diameters.
Example in CHINA
Ex: for 60m diameter
600meters &300meters
 Differences between onshore and offshore
type Cost Installation Environmen Technology Service and
t damage connect to
the grid

Onshore Low On land Relatively Guaranteed Easy

high to work
100%

offshore High In the sea low Still Hard

because developing
construction new
and technologies
materials and not
are needed guaranteed
to set up to work
turbines in 100%
the sea
Report of the Global Wind Energy Council
(GWEC).
 Wind Energy Development
Environmental Concerns

 Noise.
 Visual Impacts.
 Avian/Bat Mortality.
 Other Concerns.

 Noise
 Like all mechanical systems, wind turbines produce some
noise when they operate. Most of the turbine noise is
masked by the sound of the wind itself, and the turbines
run only when the wind blows. In recent years, engineers
have made design changes to reduce the noise from wind
turbines. Early model turbines are generally noisier than
most new and larger models. As wind turbines have
become more efficient, more of the wind is converted
into rotational torque and less into acoustic noise.
Additionally, proper siting and insulating materials can
be used to minimize noise impacts.
 Visual Impacts
 Because they must generally be sited in exposed places,
wind turbines are often highly visible; however,
being visible is not necessarily the same as
being intrusive. Aesthetic issues are by their nature highly
subjective. Proper siting decisions can help to avoid any
aesthetic impacts to the landscape. One strategy being
used to partially offset visual impacts is to site fewer
turbines in any one location by using multiple
locations and by using today's larger and more efficient
models of wind turbines.
 Avian/Bat Mortality
 Bird and bat deaths are one of the most controversial biological
issues related to wind turbines. The deaths of birds and bats at wind
farm sites have raised concerns by fish and wildlife agencies and
conservation groups. On the other hand, several large wind facilities
have operated for years with only minor impacts on these animals.
 To try to address this issue, the wind industry and government
agencies have sponsored research into collisions, relevant bird and
bat behavior, mitigation measures, and appropriate study design
protocols. In addition, project developers are required to collect data
through monitoring efforts at existing and proposed wind energy
sites. Careful site selection is needed to minimize fatalities and in
some cases additional research may be needed to address bird and bat
impact issues.
 While structures such as smokestacks, lighthouses, tall buildings, and
radio and television towers have also been associated with bird and
bat kills, bird and bat mortality is a serious concern for the wind
industry.
 Other Concerns
 Unlike most other generation technologies, wind turbines
do not use combustion to generate electricity, and hence
don't produce air emissions. The only potentially toxic or
hazardous materials are relatively small amounts of
lubricating oils and hydraulic and insulating fluids.
Therefore, contamination of surface or ground water or
soils is highly unlikely. The primary health and safety
considerations are related to blade movement and the
presence of industrial equipment in areas potentially
accessible to the public. An additional concern associated
with wind turbines is potential interference with radar
and telecommunication facilities. And like all electrical
generating facilities, wind generators produce electric
and magnetic fields.
In2015, Al-Tafila wind farm located in southwest of Jordan
was opened.
The wind farm project Al-Tafila the first and largest of its kind
in the Middle East, to generate clean electricity from wind
power.
The project includes 38 fan (turbine) to generate clean
electricity from wind power, and the ability of a total
production capacity of
117MW and a size of investment of 205 million JD.
In2016, the wind energy project in Ma'an was
opened.
Whichis the first of its kind owned by the
government.
The project includes 40 fan (turbine) to generate
clean electricity from wind power, and the ability of
a total production capacity of 200MW and a size of
investment of 105 million JD.
Ma'an will soon build two other projects for wind
power, one in Al Fugeej area and the other in Alrajv
area and size similar to this project.
Future targets for the
development of renewable energy
in Jordan:
The estimated size of the operating wind energy
projects and contracted in Jordan (470) MW.
The government has set an ambitious target for the
contribution of renewable energy sources in the
energy supply of the Kingdom of the mixture up to
about 20% of the electrical energy by year 2025.
 References:

 Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems Gilbert M.

Masters

 https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/index/tech.ht
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 http://emrc.gov.jo/index.php/ar/%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A
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