WIND ENERGY
Energy Management
BY: Olive Duran
Wind energy
Wind Energy is electricity
created from the naturally
flowing air in the Earth's
atmosphere. As a
renewable resource that
won't get depleted through
use, its impact on the
environment and climate
crisis is significantly smaller
than burning fossil fuels.
Wind Energy
Wind is produced naturally when the sun heats the atmosphere, from
variations in the surface of the Earth, and from the planet's rotation.
 Wind can then increase or decrease as a result of the influence of
bodies of water, forests, meadows and other vegetation, and elevation
changes. Wind patterns and speeds vary significantly across terrain, as
well as seasonally, but some of those patterns are predictable enough
to plan around.
Site Selection
The best locations to place a wind turbine are the tops
of rounded hills, on open plains (or open water for
offshore wind), and mountain passes where wind is
naturally funneled through (producing regular high
wind speeds). Generally, the higher the elevation the
better, since higher elevations usually have more wind.
TYPES OF WIND ENERGY
Utility Scale
Wind Energy
These are large-scale
wind projects designed to
be used as a source of
energy for a utility
company. They are similar
in scope to a coal-fired or
natural gas power plant,
which they sometimes
replace or.
supplement
Offshore Wind
Energy
These are generally
utility-scale wind energy
projects that are planned
in the waters off coastal
areas. They can generate
tremendous power near
larger cities.
Small Scale or
Distributed
Wind Energy
This type of wind energy is the
opposite of the other examples.
These are wind turbines that are
smaller in physical size and are used
to meet the energy demands of a
specific site or local area. Sometimes,
these turbines are connected to the
larger energy distribution grid, and
sometimes they are off-grid. You'll
see these smaller installations (5
kilowatt size) in residential settings,
where they might provide some or
most of a home's needs, depending
on weather, and medium-sized
versions (20 kilowatts or so) at
industrial or community sites, where
they might be part of a renewable
energy system that also includes
solar power, geothermal, or other
energy sources.
How does wind energy works?
How does wind energy works?
◦ The function of a wind turbine is to use blades of some shape (which
can vary) to catch the wind's kinetic energy. As the wind flows over the
blades, it lifts them, just like it lifts a sail to push a boat. That push from
the wind makes the blades turn, moving the drive shaft that they're
connected to. That shaft then turns a pump of some kind—whether
directly moving a piece of stone over grain (windmill), or pushing that
energy into a generator that creates electricity that can be used right
away or stored in a battery.
The process for an electricity-generating system (wind
turbine) includes the following steps:
Wind Pushes Blades.
Kinetic Energy Is Transformed.
Electricity Is Generated.
Transformer Converts Electricity.
Electricity Is Used or Stored.
Wind Pushes Blades
Ideally, a windmill or wind turbine is located in a place with regular and
consistent winds. That air movement pushes specially designed blades
that allow the wind to push them as easily as possible. Blades can be
designed so they are pushed upwind or downwind of their location.
Kinetic Energy Is Transformed
Kinetic Energy is the free energy that comes from the wind.
For us to be able to use or store that energy, it needs to be
changed into a usable form of power. Kinetic energy is
transformed into mechanical energy when the wind meets
the windmill blades and pushes them. The movement of the
blades then turns a drive shaft.
Electricity Is Generated
In a wind turbine, a spinning drive shaft is connected to a gearbox that increases the
speed of the rotation by a factor of 100—which in turn spins a generator. Therefore,
the gears end up spinning much faster than the blades being pushed by the wind.
Once these gears reach a fast enough speed, they can power a generator that
produces electricity.
The gearbox is the most expensive and heavy part of the turbine, and engineers are
working on direct drive generators that can operate at lower speeds (so they don't
need a gear box).
Transformer Converts Electricity
◦ The electricity produced by the generator is 60-cycle AC
(alternating current) electricity. A transformer may be needed
to convert that to another type of electricity, depending on
local needs.
Electricity Is Used or Stored
◦ Electricity produced by a wind turbine might be used on site (more likely to be true in
small or medium-sized wind projects), it could be delivered to transmission lines for
use right away, or it could be stored in a battery.
◦ More efficient battery storage is key for advancements in wind energy in the future.
Increased storage capacity means that on days when the wind blows less, stored
electricity from windier days could supplement it. Wind variability would then become
less of an obstacle for reliable electricity from wind.
Wind Energy Pros and
Cons
PROS.
When properly placed, wind energy can produce low-cost and nonpolluting
electricity about 90% of the time.
There is minimal waste generated by a wind farm—nothing needs to be carted
away and dumped, no water supply is needed to cool machinery, and there's no
effluent to scrub or clean.
Once installed, wind turbines have a low operating cost, as wind is free.
It's space flexible: You can use a small turbine to power a home or farm
building, a large turbine for industrial energy needs, or a field of giant turbines
to create a power plant-level source of energy for a city.
Cons:
Wind reliability can vary. In addition, weak or strong winds will shut down a turbine
and electricity won't be produced at all.
Turbines can be noisy depending on where they are placed, and some people don't
like the way they look. Home wind turbones might offend neighbors.
Wind turbines have been found to harm wildlife, especially birds and bats.
They have a high initial cost, though they pay for themselves relatively quickly.
THANK YOU
AND
GOD BLESS!!!!!!