Save the Earth with Wind Power

1. Save the Earth with Wind Power Lauren Lee CWI Block D

2. What is wind power? • Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. Wind energy has historically been used directly to propel sailing ships but now we use wind power mostly for generating ELECTRICITY. • Large scale wind farms are typically connected to the local electric power transmission network, with smaller turbines being used to provide electricity to isolated locations. Utility companies increasingly buy back surplus electricity produced by small domestic turbines. Wind energy as a power source is favoured by many environmentalists as an alternative to fossil fuels, as it is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and produces lower greenhouse gas emissions

3. Nature of the Wind-everywhere! (almost) • Due to the sun unevenly heating the air around the globe, the air surrounding us is always on the move. Unlike sunshine, which is a much sought after phenomenon in some dark, wet places around the world, the wind is everywhere. Wind amount differs but wind is present everywhere.

4. The Science • Air is like fluid.If you place an object like a rotor blade in the path of that wind, the wind will push on it, transferring some of its own energy of motion to the blade. This is how a wind turbine captures energy from the wind. Just like the sailboat. • It's hard sometimes to imagine air as a fluid. It just seems so ... invisible. But air is a fluid like any other except that its particles are in gas form instead of liquid. And when air moves quickly, in the form of wind, those particles are moving quickly. Motion means kinetic energy, which can be captured, just like the energy in moving water can be captured by the turbine in a hydroelectric dam. In the case of a wind-electric turbine, the turbine blades are designed to capture the kinetic energy in wind. The rest is nearly identical to a hydroelectric setup: When the turbine blades capture wind energy and start moving, they spin a shaft that leads from the hub of the rotor to a generator. The generator turns that rotational energy into electricity.

8. Disadvantages • Wind turbines may be noisy and visually intrusive • Rotating blades cause “shadow flickers” to residents nearby • Not totally “un-dependent” on fossil fuels and oils • Dangerous to birds, bats, and flying animals or flying objects such as planes • Low vibration from rotation might cause effect to deep sea mammals • Large wind power farms require large land use

9. However…ADVANTAGES! • Low marginal cost • Wind is everywhere! Regardless of time of day! • Construction costs are paid back within 9 months of functioning • Low maintenance costs • Not fully independent of fuel but fuel use is very small compared to energy produced • Noisy, ugly, and dangerous?? Well…

10. Revolution of Wind Turbines • New wind turbine designs are being developed to prevent flying animal casualties as well as human accidents. New designs cause less sound, vibration, and casts less shadows. New designs are mostly smaller in size and lower in height. • In case of helix wind turbines, it has a clear advantage over other wind power systems. The sculptured curbs of the blades expose maximum surface area to the wind. • It means it could get wind from every direction and needs less wind to produce sufficient power. This also allows helix systems to be built in lower heights and the solid shape is safe for the birds as well! : )

11. “Small Wind” Power • Small wind energy systems are one of the fastest growing forms of customer-sited or distributed electric generation and one of the best energy investments for small businesses and homeowners.Small (or residental) wind energy systems typically generate just enough power to meet the demands of a home, farm or small business. • They range from 400 watts to 500 kilowatts or more and typically consist of a single turbine (vertical or horizontal). They can be significant power sources and have proven records of performance, even in locations with modest winds. • The success of the commercial wind industry has propelled significant advances in small turbine design, making these systems more reliable, quieter and safer than those introduced in past decades. And though most of the electricity they produce is used on-site, excess generation can be fed into distribution lines, strengthening the electric grid.

12. Jejudo Wind Power Appliance • Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Wind Power Project, a bundled wind power projects, is located in Haengwon-Ri and Sinchang-Ri of Jeju island. The purpose of this project is to generate electricity by using renewable wind resources to meet ever-increasing demand for energy in the region and to contribute effective development of wind power through utilizing environmental friendly energy sources such as wind. • The project has an installed capacity of 5.93MW and the expected annual electricity generation from the project is 12,727 MWh. The electricity from the projects is connected to the grid and subsequently displaces the equal amount of power generated main by coal-fired thermal power plant in the island. Furthermore, the project does not result in degradation of any natural resource, health standards, etc at the project area. • In the absence of the project activity, equivalent power would have been generated and consumed based on the fossil fuel intensive grid resulting in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Hence, the implementation of this project activity will facilitate in reduction of the ever increasing demand and supply gap of electricity through wind power generation and result in 9,201 tones of CO2 reductions annually.

13. Australia Small Wind Revolution • In Australia, rooftop turbines developed • http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ5kX5Yw4eY

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY • http://www.helixwind.com/download/media79_1_featured3_4_White%20Paper%2018%20Dec%202007.pdf • www.nws.noaa.gov • 
www.weather.com • www.metoffice.gov.uk • 
www.bom.gov.au • www.awea. Org • :www.anev.org • ppd.jsf.or.jp/jwea • KOREA:http://www.kwedo.or.kr/ • AUSTRAILIA ROOFTOP TURBINE:http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ5kX5Yw4eY