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WIND ENERGY
 Wind – Atmospheric air in
motion.
 It has become an energy
source. Sun produces 4 x 1026
joules of electromagnetic
radiation every second that is
radiated into space.
 About 2% of the sunlight that
falls on the earth is
transformed to wind energy.
 Wind energy is the kinetic
energy that is present in
moving air.
 The amount of potential energy depends mainly on wind speed, but is also affected
slightly by the density of the air, which is determined by the air temperature,
barometric pressure and altitude

PROCESS OF WIND CREATION

 Wind is caused by
differences in the
atmospheric pressure.
When a difference in
atmospheric pressure
exists, air moves from the
higher to the lower
pressure area, resulting
in winds of various
speeds.

APPLICATION OF WIND ENERGY:

1- Mechanical application:
 mainly (water pumping) Multi-blade windmill used for water pumping
2- Electricity generation:
 Wind turbines vary in size and type. They are commercially available for electricity
generation. Size of wind turbines (400 Watt-5 MW)
 The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and
makes electricity.
WIND TURBINES
 Rotating machines that can be used to generate electricity from the kinetic power of
the wind.

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 Alike aircraft propeller, turn in moving air, power the electric generator, supply
electric current.
 The spinning of the shaft in the generator makes electricity
 Efficiency depends on number of blades in windmill.
BLADES
 One
• Rotor must move more rapidly. • Gearbox ratio reduced. • Higher speed
means more noise and other impacts. • Captures 10% less energy than 2
blades design. • Ultimately provide no cost savings.
 Two
• Rotor must move more rapidly. • Higher speed means more noise and other
impacts. • Needs shock absorber because of gyroscopic imbalances. • Captures
5% less energy than three blades design.
 Three
• Balances of gyroscopic forces. • Slower rotation • Increases gearbox and
transmission cost • More aesthetic, less noise, fewer bird strikes.
TYPES OF WIND TURBINES
Vertical Axis
Horizontal axis
Vertical axis
• Rotating axis of the wind turbine is
vertical or perpendicular to the ground
• Primarily used in small wind projects
and residential applications • Powered
by wind coming from all 360 degrees, no
yaw mechanism • Ideal for installations
where wind conditions are not
consistent, or due to public ordinances
the turbine cannot be placed high
enough to benefit from steady wind

Horizontal axis
• Rotating axis of the wind turbine is horizontal or parallel to the ground • Primarily used in
big wind application • Able to produce more electricity from a given amount of wind •
Disadvantage of horizontal axis however is that it is generally heavier and it does not produce
well in turbulent winds

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Working Principle
The energy in the wind turns two or three blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to
the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic
energy in the wind into mechanical power.
WORKING OF WIND TURBINE
 Wind blows toward the turbine's rotor blades.
 The rotors spin around, capturing some of the kinetic energy from the wind, and
turning the central drive shaft that supports them.
 In most large modern turbines, the rotor blades can swivel on the hub at the front so
they meet the wind at the best angle (or "pitch") for harvesting energy. This is called
the pitch control mechanism.
 Inside the nacelle, the gearbox converts the low-speed rotation of the drive shaft into
high-speed rotation fast enough to drive the generator efficiently.
 The entire top part of the turbine (the rotors and nacelle) can be rotated by a yaw
motor, mounted between the nacelle and the tower, so it faces directly into the
oncoming wind and captures the maximum amount of energy.
 If it's too windy or turbulent, brakes are applied to stop the rotors from turning (for
safety reasons).
 The electric current produced by the generator flows through a cable running down
through the inside of the turbine tower.
 A step-up transformer converts the electricity to about 50 times higher voltage so it
can be transmitted efficiently to the power grid (or to nearby buildings or
communities). If the electricity is flowing to the grid, it's converted to an even higher
voltage (130,000 volts or more) by a substation nearby, which services many turbines.
 Homes enjoy clean, green energy: the turbine has produced no greenhouse gas
emissions or pollution as it operates.
SETUP TYPES
 Stand-alone o not connected to a power grid o power created is directly channelled
into powered site
 Utility power grid o Stores energy o connection must be available
 Combined w/ a photovoltaic (solar cell) system o has solar cells mounted on it. o Solar
cells - thin wafers of silicon which, when exposed to sunlight, produce electric current.

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WIND POWER STORAGE

• One tried and tested possibility is
pumped storage: low-price electricity is
used to pump huge amounts of water up a
mountain to a high-level lake, ready to be
drained back down the mountain, through
a hydroelectric turbine, at times of high
demand when the electricity is more
valuable.
• Large-scale batteries hooked up to
individual wind farms could be very helpful.
ADVANTAGES
• Very low carbon dioxide emissions (effectively zero once constructed). • No air or water
pollution. • No environmental impacts from mining or drilling. • Completely sustainable—
unlike fossil fuels, wind will never run out. • Turbines work almost anywhere in the world
where it's reliably windy, unlike fossil-fuel deposits that are concentrated only in certain
regions. • Unlike fossil-fuelled power, wind energy operating costs are predictable years in
advance. • Freedom from energy prices and political volatility of oil and gas supplies from
other countries. • New jobs in construction, operation, and manufacture of turbines.
DISADVANTAGES
• High up-front cost. • Extra cost and complexity of balancing variable wind power with other
forms of power. • Extra cost of upgrading the power grid and transmission lines, though the
whole system often benefits. • Damage local wildlife • Large overall land takes—though at
least 95 percent of wind farm land can still be used for farming, and offshore turbines can be
built at sea. • Can't supply 100 percent of a country's power all year round, the way fossil
fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric, and biomass power can. • Loss of jobs for people working in
mining and drilling. Noise and aesthetic pollution: – Wind turbines generate noise and visual
pollution. A single wind turbine can be heard from hundreds of meters away. Although steps
are often taken to site wind turbines away from dwellings. Many people like the look of wind
turbines, others do not and see them as a blot on the landscape.
WIND ENERGY & THE ENVIRONMENT
Wind is a clean fuel; wind power plants (also called wind farms) produce no air or water
pollution because no fuel is burned to generate electricity. Drawbacks of Wind Machines The
most serious environmental drawbacks to wind machines may be their negative effect on wild
bird populations and the visual impact on the landscape. To some, the glistening blades of
windmills on the horizon are an eyesore; to others, they're a beautiful alternative to
conventional power plants.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.