Wind Energy (ENER 412)

Lecture 1
Introduction to Wind Energy
Course Instructor: Addisu Dagne
Department of Mechanical Engineering
March 2012
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 Outline
• What is wind Energy?
• How wind is created?
• History of wind Energy Applications
• Modern Wind Turbines
• Types of wind turbines
• Components of wind turbine system

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 What is Wind Energy?
 All renewable energy (except tidal and geothermal power),
and even the energy in fossil fuels, ultimately comes from the
sun.
 It has been estimated that the total solar power received by
the earth is approximately 1.8 × 1011 MW.
 Of this solar input, only 2% (i.e. 3.6 × 109 MW) is converted
into wind energy and about 35% of wind energy is dissipated
within 1000 m of the earth’s surface.
 Therefore, the available wind power that can be converted
into other forms of energy is approximately 1.26 × 109 MW.
 Because this value represents 20 times the rate of the present
global energy consumption, wind energy in principle could
meet entire energy needs of the world.

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 How Wind Energy is created?
 Wind power, like most sources of energy on earth,
originates from the sun.
 Wind results from the movement of air due to
atmospheric pressure gradients resulted from uneven
heating of the earth’s surface.
 Wind flows from regions of higher pressure to regions of
lower pressure.
 The larger the atmospheric pressure gradient, the higher
the wind speed and thus, the greater the wind power that
can be captured from the wind by means of wind energy-
converting machinery.

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Global and Local Winds
 On Earth there are several major wind belts called Global Winds.
These winds travel in a pattern and cover long distances.
 Trade Winds From 0 - 30 degrees latitude. These were the
sailor's favorite winds since the weather was warm and the winds
usually blew steadily in the right.
 The Coriolis Effect makes the trade winds appear to be curving
to the west, whether they are traveling to the equator from the
south or north.
 Prevailing Westerlies: From 30-60 degrees latitude the winds
that move toward the poles appear to curve to the east. They are
named from the direction in which they originate These are the
winds that effect the weather patterns in the United States and
Canada. They are very strong winds.
 Polar easterlies: The polar easterlies form when the atmosphere
over the poles cools. This cool air then sinks and spreads over the
surface. As the air flows away from the poles, it is turned to the
west by the Coriolis effect. Again, because these winds begin in
the east, they are called easterlies.

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Global and Local Winds

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Global wind patterns

The westerlies (blue) and trade winds (yellow and red)

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Local Winds
 Local winds are due to local pressure
differences and are influenced by the
topography, friction of the surface due to
mountains, valleys, etc.
 The diurnal (24 h) variation is due to
temperature differences between day and
night.
 The temperature differences between the
land and sea also cause breezes; however,
they do not penetrate very far inland.

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 Local Winds
 The land heats up faster than water. While water takes
longer to warm up it retains its heat longer than the
land.
 During the day, the land heats up faster, and the hot
air rises, creating an area of lower pressure. Wind
blows from the sea to the land. This is a sea breeze.
 At night, the land cools off faster than the sea. Cooler
air descends creating an area of higher pressure. Wind
blows from the land to the sea. This is a land breeze.

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History of Wind Energy Applications
 The use of wind as an energy source begins in antiquity.
 Vertical-axis windmills for grinding grain were reported in
Persia in the tenth century and in China in the thirteenth
century.
 At one time wind was a major source of energy for
transportation (sailboats), grinding grain, and pumping water.
 Windmills, along with water mills, were the largest power
sources before the invention of the steam engine.
 Windmills, numbering in the thousands, for grinding grain
and pumping drainage water were common across Europe,
and some windmills were even used for industrial purposes,
such as sawing wood.
 As the Europeans set off colonizing the world, windmills
were built across the world.

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 Earliest Sailing Ships
 First use of sails:
approx. 3,000 BC
in Egypt
 Propulsion came
primarily by
“drag” (wind
from behind)
 Used oars for
backup
Model of Cheops ship, c. 2,500 BC

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 Wind for Transportation on Land

 Attempted
for crossing
Great Plains
 Not practical

“Wind Wagon Thomas” heading west for gold, c. 1848

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Wind Mills
 Wind energy for stationary applications
 Many mechanical tasks:
◦ Grain grinding
◦ Sawing wood
◦ Water pumping

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 Earliest Windmills
 The first windmills on
record were built by the
Persians in
approximately 900 AD.
 these windmills had
vertical axes and were
drag type devices.
 As such they were
inherently inefficient,
and particularly
susceptible to damage in
high winds.
 Multiple Blades

Early Persian windmill (Gipe, 1995)

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Earliest Windmills
 Vertical
axis of
rotation
 Used for
milling
grain

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Middle Age Windmills
 Had horizontal axes
 They were used for
nearly any
mechanical task,
including water
pumping, grinding
grain, sawing wood.
 Four Blades

European smock mill (Hills, 1994)

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 Middle Age Windmills

Beacon Mill, a smock mill of 1802

Wilton Windmill. A tower mill with fantail

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Middle Age Windmills
 The Middle Age windmills had reached a
high level of design sophistication
◦ Yaw mechanisms included both manually
operated arms, and separate yaw rotors.
◦ Blades had acquired somewhat of an airfoil
shape and included some twist.

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 Water Pumpers in the US West
 Multiple blades
(“fan mill”)
 Low speed,
high torque
 Speed reduction
gearing
 Overspeed
control by
yawing
 Very reliable

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Specialized Applications
 Pumping sea water for salt production

Salt production, Cape Cod, MA, 1880’s

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Early wind generation of electricity

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 Brush Wind Dynamo
 Charles Brush
 First electricity
generating wind
machine, built in
Cleveland, USA, 1888
 144 blades
 Rotor diameter of 17 m
 It generated a peak
power of 12 kW to
charge batteries that
supply DC current to
lamps and electric
motors.
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Jacobs
 Small wind
electric turbines
for isolated
applications
 3 blades,
upwind
 DC generator
 US, 1930’s

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Modern Wind Turbines
 Over the last 25 years, the size of the
largest commercial wind turbines has
increased from approximately 50 kW to
5MW.
 Today, modern wind turbines in wind
farms have typically three blades,
operating at relative high wind speeds
for the power output up to several
megawatts.

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Modern Wind Turbines

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 Vestas
 1990’s – 2000+
 3 blades
 Upwind
 Pitch control
 Induction
generator
Types of Wind Turbines
 Wind energy converters can be classified
firstly in accordance with their aerodynamic
function and, secondly, according to their
constructional design.
 According to rotor’s aerodynamic function
◦ Lift-type rotors
◦ Drag-type rotors
 According to constructional design
◦ Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)
◦ Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)

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Types of Wind Turbines
 Today, the most common design of wind
turbine is the horizontal axis wind turbine
(HAWT). That is, the axis of rotation is
parallel to the ground.
 HAWT rotors are usually classified
according to the rotor orientation (upwind or
downwind of the tower), hub design (rigid or
teetering), rotor control (pitch vs. stall),
number of blades (usually two or thee
blades), and how they are aligned with the
wind (free yaw or active yaw).
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Types of Wind Turbines

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Types of Wind Turbines
 Today, the most common design of wind
turbine is the horizontal axis wind turbine
(HAWT). That is, the axis of rotation is
parallel to the ground.
 HAWT rotors are usually classified
according to the rotor orientation (upwind
or downwind of the tower).

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Types of Wind Turbines

HAWT rotor configurations

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Components of a horizontal-axis wind turbine

 The principal subsystems of a typical horizontal axis

wind turbine are
◦ The rotor, consisting of the blades and the supporting hub
◦ The drive train, which includes the rotating parts of the
wind turbine (exclusive of the rotor); it usually consists of
shafts, gearbox, coupling, a mechanical brake, and the
generator
◦ The nacelle and main frame, including wind turbine
housing, bedplate, and the yaw system
◦ The tower and the foundation
◦ The machine controls
◦ The balance of the electrical system, including cables,
switchgear, transformers, and possibly electronic power
converters

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Major components of a
horizontal axis wind turbine
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 Video (How Wind turbines work?)
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 Animation( How wind turbines work?)
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Inside wind turbine

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What is inside wind turbine?

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Cont…
 The main options in wind machine design and
construction include:
◦ Number of blades (commonly two or three)
◦ Rotor orientation: downwind or upwind of tower
◦ Blade material, construction method, and profile
◦ Hub design: rigid, teetering or hinged
◦ Power control via aerodynamic control (stall control)
or variable pitch blades (pitch control)
◦ Fixed or variable rotor speed
◦ Orientation by self aligning action (free yaw), or
direct control (active yaw)
◦ Synchronous or induction generator
◦ Gearbox or direct drive generator

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Power in the Wind

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Power Density

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Power in the wind

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Example 1

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Power VS Wind Speed

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Power VS Swept Area

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Example 2

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Example 3

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Example 4

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Next Lecture: Lecture 2
Wind Characteristics and Resources

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