The Kidwind Project
St. Paul, MN joe@kidwind.org
www.kidwind.org
Wind Energy for Educators

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org
http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=180&L=0%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D

Economic Benefit to Clean
Energy Development
“The nation that leads the world in 21st century clean energy will be the nation that leads in the
21st century global economy.”
— U.S. President
Barack Obama
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

• Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers,
Aerospace Engineers
• Site/Civil Engineers
• Turbine Technicians
• Development/Project Managers
• Business Expertise (financial)
• Legal Expertise
• Meteorologists to forecast wind
• Transportation Logistics
• Microelectronic/Computer Programmers
• Environmental Consultants (Biologists, etc.)
• Communications/Marketing/PR
• Etc...
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Ph.D. Degrees in Physical Science and
Engineering
30
25
Asian Citizens
20
15
10
U.S. Citizens
5
0
1985 1990 1995
Year
Sources: Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards, NSF, 2001.
Science and Engineering Indicators, NSB, 2002.
Sciences = Physics, chemistry, astronomy, earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences
Engineering = Aeronautical, astronautical, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, material, metallurgical, and mechanical.
2000 2005

1979: 40 cents/kWh
• Increased
Turbine Size
• R&D Advances
• Manufacturing
Improvements
2000:
4 - 6 cents/kWh
NSP 107 MW Lake Benton wind farm
4 cents/kWh (unsubsidized)
2011:
4-5 cents/kWh

Lazard COE Analysis 2009
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Renewable Portfolio Standards www.dsireusa.org
/ February 2010
WA:
OR
15% x 2020*
: 25% x 2025
MT: 15% x 2015
(large utilities
5% - 10% x 2025 (smaller utilities)
)*
MN: 25% x 2025
(Xcel: 30% x 2020)
ND: 10% x 2015
VT: (1) RE meets any increase in retail sales x 2012;
(2) 20% RE & CHP x 2017
MI: 10% + 1,100 MW x 2015*
SD: 10% x 2015 WI : Varies by utility;
10% x 2015 goal
NY: 29% x 2015
NV : 25% x 2025*
IA: 105 MW
OH : 25% x 2025 †
CO: 20% by 2020 (IOUs)
10% by 2020 (co-ops & large munis)* IL: 25% x 2025
WV: 25% x 2025* †
CA: 33% x 2020
UT: 20% by 2025*
KS: 20% x 2020
VA: 15% x 2025*
MO: 15% x 2021
AZ: 15% x 2025
DC
NC : 12.5% x 2021
(IOUs)
10% x 2018 (co-ops & munis)
NM: 20% x 2020 (IOUs)
10% x 2020 (co-ops)
TX: 5,880 MW x 2015
HI: 40% x 2030
ME: 30% x 2000
New RE: 10% x 2017
NH: 23.8% x 2025
MA: 15% x 2020
+ 1% annual increase
(Class I RE)
RI: 16% x 2020
CT: 23% x 2020
PA: 18% x 2020 †
NJ: 22.5% x 2021
MD: 20% x 2022
DE: 20% x 2019*
DC: 20% x 2020
State renewable portfolio standard
State renewable portfolio goal
Solar water heating eligible
Minimum solar or customer-sited requirement
†
Extra credit for solar or customer-sited renewables
Includes non-renewable alternative resources
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org
29 states
+

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Elegant Power Source

It’s all about balance, choice, consequence…

History
Technology
Impacts
Wind in the Classroom

Early “Windmill” in Afghanistan (900AD)

Jacobs Turbine – 1920 - 1960 WinCharger – 1930s – 40s

Smith-Putnam Turbine
Vermont, 1940's

Advantages
• Omnidirectional
– Accepts wind from any angle
• Components can be mounted at ground level
– Ease of service
– Lighter weight towers
• Aesthetically pleasing
(?)
Disadvantages
• Rotors generally near ground where wind poorer
• Centrifugal force stresses blades
• Poor self-starting capabilities
• Requires support at top of turbine rotor
• Requires entire rotor to be removed to replace bearings
• ½ of rotor travels upwind
• Have never been commercially successful
• Cost per kilowatt-hour
• Overall poor performance and reliability

• Rotors are usually Up-wind of tower
• Some machines have down-wind rotors, but only commercially available ones are small turbines
• Proven, viable technology

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Blade Pitch
Controller
Low Speed
Shaft
Gearbox
High Speed
Shaft
Generator
Yaw
Controller
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Yawing – Turning to face the Wind
• Active Yaw (Large Turbines)
• Automated – computer system tells a motor to turn nacelle
• Passive Yaw (Small Wind)
• Wind forces alone direct rotor
• Tail vanes
• Downwind turbines

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Off-Shore Wind Farms

Why do windmills need to be high in the sky??

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Power in the wind 3
– Effect of swept area, A
– Effect of wind speed, V
– Effect of air density, ρ
R
Swept Area: A = π R 2 Area of the circle swept by the rotor (m 2 ).

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

• No air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions
– CO2, NOx, SOx, Mercury…
• No water consumption or pollution
• Diversifies national energy portfolio
• Economic Benefits
– Jobs
– Cost of energy
– Landowner revenue
– Contribution to local taxes

• In the November-December Audubon Magazine, John
Flicker, President of National Audubon Society, wrote a column stating that Audubon "strongly supports wind power as a clean alternative energy source," pointing to the link between global warming and the birds and other wildlife that scientist say it will kill.

Bat Impacts
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

• Modern turbines are relatively quiet
• Rule of thumb – stay about 3x hub-height away from houses
• VERY CONTROVERSIAL

Transmission Problems
• Where is the wind?
• Where are the population centers?
• Where are the wind farms?
• How do we get wind energy from the wind farms to the population centers?

• Scientific Inquiry (Collecting & Presenting Data,
Performing Experiments, Repeating Trials, Using Models)
• Use of Simple Tools & Equipment
• Motions and Forces
• Transfer of Energy (Forms of Energy)
• Science and Technology in Society
• Populations, resources, and environments
• Circuits/Electricity/Magnetism
• Weather Patterns
• Renewable – Non Renewable Energy
• … much more in STEM

Circuits, Wind Farms, Battery Charging, and Hybrid Systems
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

The KidWind Project www.kidwind.org
joe@kidwind.org