Wind Energy

• Wind energy is the kinetic energy associated with movement of large masses of
air. These motions results from uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun,
creating temperature, density and pressure difference.
• 1 % of all solar radiation falling on the earth is converted into kinetic energy of
the atmosphere, 30% of which occurs in the lowest 1000 m of elevation.
• It is indirect form of solar energy.
• Clean, cheap, and eco-friendly renewable source, available throughout a day.
• Dispersed, erratic and location-specific source.
• Very slow winds are useless, having no possibility of power generation. On the
other hand, very strong winds cannot be utilized due to safety of turbine. (5 m/s
to about 25 m/s are considered favourable)
• The interest in wind energy has renewed after the oil crisis of 1973.
• Most modern, large-scale wind energy systems have been built after 1980.
• Improved turbine designs and plant utilization reduces its cost- Rs 17.00 per kWh
in 1980 to about Rs 3.75 per kWh at present.
• Expected life-20 years
• Payback period-one year
• Fastest growing energy source
• Major factors that accelerate its development
• Availability of high strength fibre composites for constructing large low-cost rotor blades
• Falling prices of power electronics
• Variable speed operation of electrical generators to capture maximum energy
• Improved plant operation, pushing the availability up to 95%
• Economy of scale, as the turbine and plants are getting larger in size
• Improve capacity factor
• Short energy payback period
• The wind blows day and night, which allows windmills to produce electricity
throughout the day. (Faster during the day)
• Energy output from a wind turbine will vary as the wind varies, although the
most rapid variations will to some extent be compensated for by the inertia of
the wind turbine rotor.
• Wind energy is a domestic, renewable source of energy that generates no
pollution and has little environmental impact. Up to 95 percent of land used for
wind farms can also be used for other profitable activities including farming and
forestry.
• The decreasing cost of wind power and the growing interest in renewable energy
sources should ensure that wind power will become a viable energy source in the
worldwide.
 Factors affecting the distribution of wind energy

• Great mountains masses influence the circulation of air

• Surface roughness or friction
• Climatic disturbances
• Passing through narrow mountain gaps
 Variation of wind speed with height
• At the earth’s surface, wind speed is always zero.
• It increase with height above the ground.
• Wind shear-the rate of change of wind speed with height.
• Gradient height- the lower layers of the air retard those above them, resulting in
change in mean wind speed with height, until the shear forces are reduced to
zero. This height is called gradient height. (about 2000 m)
• Free atmosphere- above gradient height, changes in wind speed are not affected
by ground conditions.
• Planetary boundary layer- it consists
• Surface layer-extends from the height of local obstructions to a height of approx. 100 m.
• Ekman layer-starts from 100 m and extends upto gradient height.
• Near local obstructions wind speed deviates is highly erratic. It is important to
place the wind turbines well above the height of local obstructions.
Wind speed variation with height
 Variation of wind speed with time
• The min. average speed required is 5 m/s. A site is not considered favourable for
wind-power generation if average wind speed remains less than this for a long
period.
• Also no generation is possible if wind speed is very high, i.e., 25 m/s and above.
• Best sites- wind speed 5-25 m/s for 70-80 % of time.
 Wind turbine siting
• No tall obstructions for some distance (about 3 km) in the upwind direction and
also as low a roughness as possible in the same direction
• High annual wind speed
• A wide and open view
• Top of a smooth, well rounded hill with gentle slopes
• An island in a lake or the sea
• A narrow mountain gap
• Site reasonably close to power grid
• Soil condition favourable
• Production results of existing wind turbines available
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy
Advantages
• Continuous sources of energy
• Clean source of energy
• No emissions into the atmosphere
• Does not add to thermal burden of the earth
• Produces no health-damaging air pollution or acid rain
• Land can be used to produce energy and grow crops simultaneously
• Economical
• Benefits local communities (jobs, revenue)
Disadvantages
• For most locations, wind power density is low
• Wind velocity must be more to be usable in most areas
• Problem exists in variation of power density and duration (not reliable)
• Need better ways to store energy
• Land consumption