WIND POWER

WHAT IS ENERGY ?

SCIENTISTS WHO STUDY FORCE, MOTION AND ENERGY, SAY THAT ENERGY IS
THE ABILITY TO DO WORK, AND WORK IS MOVING SOMETHING AGAINST A
FORCE, LIKE GRAVITY. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF ENERGY IN
THE UNIVERSE, AND THAT ENERGY CAN DO DIFFERENT THINGS.

ENERGY CAN BE FOUND IN MANY THINGS, AND TAKES MANY FORMS. THERE IS
A KIND OF ENERGY CALLED KINETIC ENERGY IN OBJECTS THAT ARE MOVING.
THERE IS SOMETHING THAT SCIENTISTS CALL POTENTIAL ENERGY IN OBJECTS
AT REST THAT WILL MAKE THEM MOVE IF RESISTANCE IS REMOVED.
WHAT IS WIND POWER ?

 THE WIND IS A RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE. WIND TURBINES CAN

CONVERT ITS KINETIC ENERGY INTO ELECTRICITY.
 WIND POWER CAPTURES THE NATURAL WIND IN OUR ATMOSPHERE AND
CONVERTS IT INTO MECHANICAL ENERGY THEN ELECTRICITY. PEOPLE
STARTED USING WIND POWER CENTURIES AGO WITH WINDMILLS, WHICH
PUMPED WATER, GROUND GRAIN, AND DID OTHER WORK. TODAY'S WIND
TURBINE IS A HIGHLY EVOLVED VERSION OF A WINDMILL. MODERN WIND
TURBINES HARNESS WIND'S KINETIC ENERGY AND CONVERT IT INTO
ELECTRICITY
COMPONENTS OF WIND TURBINE
PARTS OF HORIZONTAL WIND TURBINE

EXTERNAL PARTS OF A HORIZONTAL WIND TURBINE:

1- THE BASE.
2-TOWER.
3-NACELLE.
4-BLADES.
THE BASE
 BASES ARE MADE OF CONCRETE REINFORCED WITH STEEL BARS.
 THERE ARE TWO BASIC DESIGNS:
 ONE IS A SHALLOW FLAT DISK, ABOUT 40 FEET (12 M) IN DIAMETER AND
THREE FEET (1 M) THICK.
 THE OTHER IS A DEEPER CYLINDER, ABOUT 15 FEET (4.5 M) IN DIAMETER AND
16 FEET (4.8 M) DEEP.
THE TOWER

 THE MOST COMMON TOWER DESIGN IS A WHITE STEEL CYLINDER, ABOUT

150 TO 200 FEET (45 TO 60 M) TALL AND 10 FEET (3 M) IN DIAMETER.
 SOME TURBINES USE A LATTICE TOWER, LIKE THE EIFFEL TOWER.
 TOWERS HAVE A LADDER RUNNING UP THE INSIDE AND A HOIST FOR TOOLS
AND EQUIPMENT.
THE BLADES
THE BLADES OF THE WIND TURBINES ARE DESIGNED IN TWO
DIFFERENT WAYS:
DRAG TYPE: THE WIND LITERALLY PUSHES THE BLADES OUT OF
THE WAY. SLOWER
ROTATIONAL SPEEDS AND HIGH TORQUE CAPABILITIES. USEFUL
FOR PROVIDING
MECHANICAL WORK (WATER PUMPING).
LIFT TYPE: MOST MODERN HAWT USE THIS DESIGN. BOTH SIDES OF
THE BLADE HAS
AIR BLOWN ACROSS IT RESULTING IN THE AIR TAKING LONGER TO
TRAVEL ACROSS THE EDGES. IN THIS WAY LOWER AIR PRESSURE IS
CREATED ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BLADE, AND HIGHER AIR
PRESSURE CREATED ON THE TAIL EDGE. BECAUSE OF THIS
PRESSURE DIFFERENCE THE BLADE IS PUSHED AND PULLED
AROUND, CREATING A HIGHER ROTATIONAL SPEED THAT IS NEEDED
THE BLADES

 DESIGNED LIKE AIRPLANE WINGS, MODERN WIND TURBINE BLADES USE

LIFT TO CAPTURE THE WIND'S ENERGY.
 THIS MODERN BLADE DESIGN CAPTURES THE WIND'S ENERGY MUCH MORE
EFFICIENTLY THAN OLD FARM WINDMILLS, WHICH USE DRAG, THE FORCE OF
THE WIND PUSHING AGAINST THE BLADES.
 THE BLADES SPIN AT A SLOW RATE OF ABOUT (20 – 60) REVOLUTIONS PER
MINUTE (RPM).
THE NACELLE

 THE NACELLE HOUSES A GENERATOR AND GEARBOX.

 THE SPINNING BLADES ARE ATTACHED TO THE GENERATOR THROUGH A
SERIES OF GEARS.
 THE GEARS INCREASE THE ROTATIONAL SPEED OF THE BLADES TO THE
GENERATOR SPEED OF OVER 1,500 RPM.
 AS THE GENERATOR SPINS, ELECTRICITY IS PRODUCED.
 GENERATORS CAN BE EITHER VARIABLE OR FIXED SPEED:
OTHER PARTS
BLADES:
LIFTS AND ROTATES WHEN WIND IS BLOWN OVER
THEM, CAUSING THE ROTOR TO SPIN. MOST TURBINES
HAVE EITHER TWO OR THREE BLADES.
ROTOR:
BLADES AND HUB TOGETHER FORM THE ROTOR.
PITCH:
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.
BRAKE:
STOPS THE ROTOR MECHANICALLY, ELECTRICALLY,
OR HYDRAULICALLY, IN EMERGENCIES.
LOW-SPEED SHAFT:
TURNS THE LOW-SPEED SHAFT AT ABOUT 30-60
RPM.
GEAR BOX:
CONNECTS THE LOW-SPEED SHAFT TO THE HIGH-SPEED SHAFT AND INCREASES THE ROTATIONAL
SPEEDS FROM ABOUT 30-60 ROTATIONS PER MINUTE (RPM), TO ABOUT 1,000-1,800 RPM; THIS IS THE
ROTATIONAL SPEED REQUIRED BY MOST GENERATORS TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY. THE GEAR BOX
IS A
COSTLY (AND HEAVY) PART OF THE WIND TURBINE AND ENGINEERS ARE EXPLORING "DIRECT-
DRIVE"
GENERATORS THAT OPERATE AT LOWER ROTATIONAL SPEEDS AND DON'T NEED GEAR BOXES.
HIGH-SPEED SHAFT:
DRIVES THE GENERATOR.
 GENERATOR:
PRODUCES 50-CYCLE AC ELECTRICITY.
Variable speed generators: Fixed speed generators:
produce electricity at a don't need to be corrected,
varying frequency, which but aren't as able to take
must be corrected to 60 advantage of fluctuations in
(50 in Egypt) cycles per
wind speed.
second(Hz) before it is fed
onto the grid.
WIND VANE:
MEASURES WIND DIRECTION AND COMMUNICATES
WITH THE YAW DRIVE TO ORIENT THE TURBINE
PROPERLY WITH RESPECT TO THE WIND.
ANEMOMETER:
MEASURES THE WIND SPEED AND TRANSMITS
WIND SPEED DATA TO THE CONTROLLER.
CONTROLLER:
STARTS UP THE MACHINE AT WIND SPEEDS OF ABOUT 8 TO 16 MILES PER HOUR (MPH)(5-
10)KM/H AND SHUTS OFF THE MACHINE AT ABOUT 55 MPH(34 KM/H). TURBINES DO NOT
OPERATE AT WIND SPEEDS ABOVE ABOUT 34 KM/H BECAUSE THEY MAY BE DAMAGED
BY THE HIGH WINDS.
YAW DRIVE:
ORIENTS UPWIND TURBINES TO KEEP THEM FACING THE WIND WHEN THE DIRECTION
CHANGES. DOWNWIND TURBINES DON'T REQUIRE A YAW DRIVE BECAUSE THE WIND
MANUALLY BLOWS THE ROTOR AWAY FROM IT.
HOW DOES A WIND TURBINE GENERATE
ELECTRICITY?

 WIND POWER CONVERTS THE KINETIC ENERGY IN WIND TO GENERATE

ELECTRICITY OR MECHANICAL POWER.
 THIS IS DONE BY USING A LARGE WIND TURBINE USUALLY CONSISTING OF
PROPELLERS, THE TURBINE CAN BE CONNECTED TO A GENERATOR TO
GENERATE ELECTRICITY, OR THE WIND USED AS MECHANICAL POWER TO
PERFORM TASKS SUCH AS PUMPING WATER OR GRINDING GRAIN.
 AS THE WIND PASSES THE TURBINES IT MOVES THE BLADES, WHICH SPINS
THE SHAFT.
HOW DOES A WIND TURBINE GENERATE
ELECTRICITY?
BLADES AND ROTOR: CONVERTS THE WIND
POWER (KINETIC ENERGY)TO A ROTATIONAL
MECHANICAL POWER.
GEAR BOX: WIND TURBINES ROTATE
TYPICALLY BETWEEN 30 RPM AND 60 RPM.
GENERATORS TYPICALLY ROTATES AT 1,000 TO
1,800 RPM. MOST WIND TURBINES REQUIRE A
STEP-UP GEAR-BOX FOR EFFICIENT
GENERATOR OPERATION (ELECTRICITY
PRODUCTION).
GENERATOR: CONVERTS THE ROTATIONAL
MECHANICAL POWER TO ELECTRICAL POWER.
IF A SPECIALLY DEVELOPED MULTI-POLE RING
(DIRECT DRIVE) GENERATOR IS USED, THE
GEARBOX IS NO LONGER REQUIRED
DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY

 THE ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY HARNESSING THE WIND’S MECHANICAL

ENERGY MUST GO THROUGH A TRANSFORMER IN ORDER INCREASE ITS
VOLTAGE (115 KV) MAKE IT SUCCESSFULLY TRANSFER ACROSS LONG
DISTANCES.
 POWER STATIONS AND FUSE BOXES RECEIVE THE CURRENT AND THEN
TRANSFORM IT TO A LOWER VOLTAGE 220/380 VOLT THAT CAN BE SAFELY
USED BY BUSINESS AND HOMES.
TYPES OF WIND TURBINES
THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWO DIFFERENT
KINDS OF WIND TURBINES IN USE:
• THE HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINES
(HAWT): HAWT ARE THE MOST COMMON
WIND TURBINES CAN REACH HIGHER
ALTITUDE WIND BUT REQUIRES A
SUBSTANTIAL TOWER STRUCTURE. USED IN
MOST MODERN WIND TURBINE DESIGNS.
OR
• THE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINES
(VAWT): VAWT ARE USUALLY IN AN ‘EGG-
BEATER’ STYLE NO NEED TO TURN INTO
WIND (YAW), EASIER CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTENANCE (GENERATOR AND GEAR
BOX ARE ON THE GROUND) LEVEL, LOWER
EFFICIENCY.
NEW TYPES OF WIND TURBINES
AIRBORNE WIND TURBINES

MAKANI AIRBORNE WIND TURBINE:

THE MAKANI AIRBORNE WIND TURBINE (AWT) CAN ACCESS STRONGER AND
MORE CONSISTENT WIND AT ALTITUDES NEAR 1,000 FEET, WHICH MEANS THAT
85% OF THE US COULD HAVE VIABLE WIND RESOURCES USING THE DEVICE
(COMPARED TO JUST 15% USING CURRENT TURBINE TECHNOLOGY). THE
MAKANI TURBINE COULD ALSO BE DEPLOYED IN DEEP OFFSHORE WATERS,
WHICH COULD LEAD TO ACCESS TO A RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE FOUR
TIMES GREATER THAN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY'S ELECTRICAL GENERATION
CAPACITY.
AIRBORNE WIND TURBINES
LENSES WIND TURBINE

WIND LENS:
JAPANESE RESEARCHERS SAY THAT THEY'VE DISCOVERED A SIMPLE WAY TO
MAKE WIND TURBINES UP TO THREE TIMES AS EFFICIENT. BY PLACING A 'WIND
LENS' AROUND THE TURBINE BLADES, THEY CLAIM THAT WIND POWER COULD
BECOME CHEAPER THAN NUCLEAR
JOBY WIND TURBINE
JOBY WIND TURBINE
ALTAEROS WIND TURBINE
ALTAEROS WIND TURBINE
SHEER WIND TURBINE
SHEER WIND TURBINE
THE MOST IMPORTANT STATIONS THAT WORK
WITH WIND ENERGY AND THE AMOUNT OF
PRODUCTION.
 THESE STATIONS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES:
I. OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS
 OFFSHORE WIND POWER REFERS TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF WIND FARMS IN
LARGE BODIES OF WATER TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY. THESE
INSTALLATIONS CAN UTILIZE THE MORE FREQUENT AND POWERFUL WINDS
THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THESE LOCATIONS AND HAVE LESS AESTHETIC
IMPACT ON THE LANDSCAPE THAN LAND BASED PROJECTS. HOWEVER, THE
CONSTRUCTION AND THE MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE CONSIDERABLY
HIGHER.
 AT THE END OF 2012, 1,662 TURBINES AT 55 OFFSHORE WIND FARMS IN 10
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE GENERATING 18 TWH, WHICH CAN POWER
ALMOST FIVE MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.
 THE LONDON ARRAY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IS THE LARGEST OFFSHORE
WIND FARM IN THE WORLD AT 630 MW
II. ONSHORE INSTALLATIONS
ONSHORE TURBINE INSTALLATIONS IN
HILLY OR MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS TEND
TO BE ON RIDGELINES GENERALLY THREE
KILOMETRES OR MORE INLAND FROM THE
NEAREST SHORELINE. THIS IS DONE TO
EXPLOIT THE TOPOGRAPHIC
ACCELERATION AS THE WIND
ACCELERATES OVER A RIDGE. THE
ADDITIONAL WIND SPEEDS GAINED IN
THIS WAY CAN INCREASE ENERGY
PRODUCED BECAUSE MORE WIND GOES
THROUGH THE TURBINES. THE EXACT
POSITION OF EACH TURBINE MATTERS,
BECAUSE A DIFFERENCE OF 30M COULD
POTENTIALLY DOUBLE OUTPUT. THIS
CAREFUL PLACEMENT IS REFERRED TO AS
'MICRO-SITING‘.
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF WIND
POWER
ADVANTAGES OF WIND POWER

1. THE WIND IS FREE AND WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY IT CAN BE CAPTURED

EFFICIENTLY.
2. ONCE THE WIND TURBINE IS BUILT THE ENERGY IT PRODUCES DOES NOT CAUSE
GREEN HOUSE GASES OR OTHER POLLUTANTS.
3. MANY PEOPLE FIND WIND FARMS AN INTERESTING FEATURE OF THE LANDSCAPE.
4. WIND TURBINES HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN BOTH THE DEVELOPED AND THIRD
WORLD.
5. REMOTE AREAS THAT ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICITY POWER GRID CAN
USE WIND TURBINES TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN SUPPLY.
DISADVANTAGES OF WIND POWER

1. MANY PEOPLE FEEL THAT THE COUNTRYSIDE SHOULD BE LEFT UNTOUCHED, WITHOUT THESE
LARGE STRUCTURES BEING BUILT. THE LANDSCAPE SHOULD LEFT IN ITS NATURAL FORM FOR
EVERYONE TO ENJOY.
2. MANY PEOPLE SEE LARGE WIND TURBINES AS UNSIGHTLY STRUCTURES AND NOT PLEASANT
OR INTERESTING TO LOOK AT. THEY DISFIGURE THE COUNTRYSIDE AND ARE GENERALLY UGLY.
3. WHEN WIND TURBINES ARE BEING MANUFACTURED SOME POLLUTION IS PRODUCED.
THEREFORE WIND POWER DOES PRODUCE SOME POLLUTION.
4. THE STRENGTH OF THE WIND IS NOT CONSTANT AND IT VARIES FROM ZERO TO STORM FORCE.
THIS MEANS THAT WIND TURBINES DO NOT PRODUCE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY ALL
THE TIME. THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN THEY PRODUCE NO ELECTRICITY AT ALL.
PROBLEMS FACES THE USE OF WIND POWER
PROBLEMS FACED BY THE USE OF WIND
POWER

 NOISE PROBLEMS
TURBINES CAN, UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES BE HEARD AT DISTANCES AT LEAST AS
GREAT AS 2.5KM. WHILE THE SOUND IS NOT LOUD, SOME PEOPLE FIND IT ANNOYING, AND
AT SMALLER DISTANCES (PERHAPS 1KM OR LESS) IT MAY STOP SOME PEOPLE FROM
SLEEPING AND LEAD ON TO ANXIETY AND STRESS IN SOME PEOPLE; THIS, IN TURN, CAN
LEAD TO HEALTH PROBLEMS.
 POWER AVAILABILITY AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS
THE WIND DOES NOT BLOW ALL THE TIME. WHEN THE WIND IS NOT BLOWING WIND
TURBINES DO NOT GENERATE POWER. AT TIMES OF PEAK ELECTRICITY DEMAND ON VERY
HOT DAYS WINDS TEND TO BE LIGHTER THAN AVERAGE.
PROBLEMS FACED BY THE USE OF WIND
POWER
 SOCIAL DISRUPTION
SOMETIMES, WHEN A WIND FARM IS PROPOSED , COMMUNITIES ARE SPLIT INTO
SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS. OCCASIONALLY BAD FEELING ARISES. IN MY
EXPERIENCE THIS IS MORE OFTEN DUE TO PEOPLE SPREADING
MISINFORMATION ABOUT WIND FARMS THAN BEING DUE TO THE WIND FARMS
THEMSELVES.
 THE TURBINE FIRE PROBLEM
THE FIRE PROBLEM IN WIND TURBINES ARISES AS A RESULT OF LARGE
AMOUNTS OF HIGHLY FLAMMABLE MATERIAL (HYDRAULIC OIL AND
LUBRICANTS, COMPOSITE MATERIALS, INSULATION, AND POLYMERS)
CONTAINED WITHIN THE NACELLE OF THE WIND TURBINE AND PACKED IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY TO POTENTIAL IGNITION SOURCES SUCH AS OVERHEATED
MECHANICAL COMPONENTS (HOT SURFACES) AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
THAT COULD FAIL.
FORM SHOWS THE RATE OF ACCIDENTS DUE
TO THE FIRES IN WIND TURBINES
GROUP 2 – BSABE 3B

• DARYLL OLILA
• MICHAEL ALARMA
• GECEL GOJUAR
• PAULA MEDINA
• REYMON DELA PENA