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Cody Cook
Physics
Nelson Kilmer
29 September 2011
Storable Wind
As we all know fossil fuels are coming to an end. Simply put we need a new, clean and
renewable source of energy for the future. There are numerous different ideas for the future and
many have the ability to become part of the energy system of the future. One energy source in
particular that has the possibility to make up a large percentage of this system is wind energy.
Wind energy is nearly endless and is environmentally friendly as well.
Wind Energy
So what does “Wind Energy” refer to? Wind is created by differing levels of heat applied
to the surface of earth by the sun. This inconsistent heating causes the air to expand unevenly
creating different air pressures. Pressure differentials cause the air to flow from areas of higher
to lower pressure. This movement of the air from high to low pressure creates motion or kinetic
energy. We call this kinetic energy of the wind “Wind Energy”. This “Wind Energy” can then be
harnessed by generators. Said generators convert the kinetic energy of the wind into the more
useful form of energy, electrical energy. These generators are the most noticeable portion of
wind energy production. The most common type of wind generator is the tall mono tower wind
turbines, which consist of a tall tower with a generator at the top with vertical spinning blades. A
less common type is the vertical sail wind turbines, which has three large “sails” that rotate
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horizontally above a generator. Mono tower wind turbines are commonly used in commercial
applications because they have a higher efficiency with straight winds. The wind, as shown
below turns the blades which then, turn the
generator that converts the kinetic energy into
electrical energy. This energy is put into the
electrical grid that supplies the electricity to your
house and everywhere else in this country.
Wind generators work wonderfully when
the wind is blowing and there is demand for
electricity. However there are times when the
availability of wind and the demand for its power do not match. If the wind is blowing but there
is not a demand for electricity, turbines are not turning and therefor they are wasting energy. The
opposite situation is almost as problematic when the power companies cannot count on turbines
to help meet the demands on the grid. This leads one to the question, can we store this free and
clean energy source for later use?
Hydrogen Production
One option for storing wind energy would be to store the energy as pure hydrogen, the
most abundant element in the universe. This is not a new idea; in fact there are plans to run
vehicles on hydrogen via the hydrogen fuel cell going back as early as the 1950 s. At the
moment these vehicles can drive up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen (Bontrager). The
problem with hydrogen is trying to procure it in a pure form that is then able to release energy
when put into a fuel cell. The most common form of creating large amounts of hydrogen is
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electrolysis of water. The way electrolysis works is that an electric
current is passed through water, this current breaks the bonds
between the hydrogen and oxygen. The atoms then collect along
there charges, hydrogen on the negative electrode and the oxygen
on the positive electrode. The gasses are then gathered and stored
for later use.
Using Hydrogen Energy Storage to Utilize Wind Energy as a
Constant Energy Source
“Hydrogen, in combination with electricity, is widely recognized as one of the futures
most outstanding energy carriers, while it will also be a contributing factor to the further
integration of wind energy within the electricity distribution grid,” (Koroneos 649). This one
statement and the research behind it is changing the world of energy production. The issue that
is keeping wind power at less than ten percent is the inconsistency of wind (Koroneos 649). If
this one obstacle could be overcome wind energy could account for most, if not all our energy
needs. I believe that the production and storage of hydrogen is the way to make wind a
consistent and viable option for energy production.
When connecting wind generators to the electricity grid and having an electrolysis plant
near these large wind farm creates the most feasible option. Currently large amounts of wind
energy is being wasted because the energy changes to suddenly for integration into the grid, as
much as fifteen percent can be wasted per month (Koroneos 652). If these wind generators could
be augmented with electrolysis units that could produce hydrogen with the excess energy then
the efficiency of both the electric grid and the wind generators would increase. Though there are
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some obstacles to making this plan a reality. First we need to invest in short-term wind
forecasting. This is to be able to predict the energy output of the wind turbines ahead of
production. This will help to keep production at the maximum energy production possible.
Another issue that needs to be overcome is placement. We need to find and exploit locations near
large population centers. This will help lower the loss of electricity over distance due to line loss
allowing higher efficiency of the system. When we overcome these two problems it will allow
the production of wind energy and hydrogen to be more efficient.
How would we integrate electrolysis into the energy grid? The most efficient way would
be to control the process by computer, allowing all unneeded electricity to be used to create pure
hydrogen. With the hydrogen we have two options, either store it on location for use in low
wind situations, or high energy demands, or compress it and sell it to gas companies for use in
industries and green technology. Each option has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Option 1
The first option of storing the hydrogen for later energy production to the grid through a
fuel cell, this will greatly improve the consistency of wind power sources. This is because the
percent of energy used to separate the hydrogen will be able to be turned back into electricity
when the grid has need of it, making it possible to give off 100% of the potential of the wind
turbine in little or no wind. Once such a system is installed, wind energy- with hydrogen
storage- will be able to increase from the current ten percent maximum production to over thirty
percent for wind energy in the electric grid (Koroneos 650). Due to the possibility of long
droughts of windlessness, perhaps a week or more, it would be unwise to use wind as the major
source of energy in a large electric grid in most areas. But for isolated areas, with high amounts
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of wind it could be a major source of free and clean energy, without the hassle of transportation
of raw energy sources.
Option 2
The second option would be to split the elements using electrolysis then compressing the
hydrogen into containers for later sell to companies as a raw fuel source. This option will
become very important in later years as our transportation turns from oil to alternative energy
sources, the chief among them hydrogen. This option is the most economical and the only
feasible option at this time due to prices of hydrogen and electricity. This does not mean we stop
thinking about other options, or stop trying to lower costs of production to make consistent wind
a viable option in the near future.
Both of these options require the splitting of water into elemental components making
both H2 and O2. As explained earlier an electrolysis unit would be used to separate the elements.
The current efficiency of an electrolysis unit is about sixty seven percent, assuming that a large
unit is used and that it is allowed to run for long periods of time (Koroneos 654). Yet this is
nearly double that of the efficiency of a coal or gas fired power plant. With the addition of heat
capturing products we could improve the efficiency of the electrolysis of water even higher,
theoretically to over eighty percent (Bontrager). Then the opposite reaction of turning pure H2
and O2 into water and electicity has an efficiency of eighty three percent, again much higher
than current energy sources (Bontrager).
Implantation
The big question is how are we going to make this work, both now and in the future?
The first factor to be dealt with is where to place the wind farms to optimize energy capture. The
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Department of Energy (DoE) has conducted country wide research to answer this problem. As
seen in the picture below is in the upper mid-west. This would work great if we had large
population centers in the same area; instead the majority of the population of the United States is
on the East and West coast. The most economical idea would be to use the wind energy near the
largest energy need, near cities, and what could not be produced locally would be imported from
regions with high production and low demand.
In low wind areas, like Arizona, and the south eastern United States most of the energy
would have to be imported, perhaps from the upper mid-west and the Pacific North West. In
those locations the excess wind energy would be turned into hydrogen to be stored and shipped
all over the nation, firstly as a transportation energy source to power fuel cell vehicles, and
second in fuel cell power plants. Such area as the Pacific North West and the upper mid-west
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would have wind farms using the option 2 discussed above with a nominal reserve for windless
days.
This idea of using wind to power our electric grid as well as our car, trucks, and other
form of transport is not a breakthrough in science; it has been in the minds of scientists all over
the world for decades. It is just with the new consciousness of a more caring populace that has
made this option a possible future. With a more efficient power grid, and an economical and
sustainable way of storing the unused clean energy we have the opportunity to slow and even
reverse global climate change through the reduction and eventual elimination of greenhouse
gasses. When this happens, with wind and other sources of electricity being used responsibly
and to their maximum efficiency, along with more efficient vehicles and energy conscious
public, this country can become a model of energy sustainability in a bright and stable future.
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Works Cited
Bontrager, Jordan Bontrager. “Hydrogen Fuel as a Replacement for Fossil Fuels.” Physics
Student Research Projects. http://old.hesston.edu/academics/faculty/nelsonk/
2009/hfuelsource-bontrager/home.html (accessed October 7, 2011).
Deal, Walter F. "Wind Power: An Emerging Energy Resource." Technology & Engineering
Teacher 70, no. 1 (September 2010): 9-15. Academic Search Premier,
EBSCOhost (accessed September 23, 2011).
Koroneos C., Katopodi E. “Maximization of Wind Energy Penetration with the use of H2
Production-An Exergy Approach.” (2011) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
15 (1), pp. 648-656.
"Low-Cost Catalyst for Hydrogen Production." Advanced Materials & Processes 169.1 (2011):
10. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Sep. 2011.
“News and Information About Wind Generator Technologies and Innovations.” Wind
Turbines. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/wind-power/windturbines/ (accessed September 23, 2011).
O. Ilinich, et al. "NEW MATERIAL NEEDS FOR HYDROCARBON FUEL PROCESSING:
Generating Hydrogen for the PEM Fuel Cell." Annual Review of Materials Research 33,
no. 1 (August 2003): 1-27. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed September
23, 2011).