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Wind Energy Winds are caused by uneven heating of the Earth (landmass and water body together) by solar radiations generating air movement. These air movements are know to many of us as land breeze and sea breeze. This movement of air can be used to do work. This energy is harnessed with the help of a windmill and electricity is generated from it.
Wind Energy Technology At it’s simplest, the wind turns the turbine blades, which spin a shaft connected to a generator that generates electricity. Large turbines can be grouped together to form a wind power plant, which feeds power to the electrical transmission system.
Wind Turbine Perspective Workers Blade 112’ long Nacelle 56 tons Tower 3 sections
Orientation Turbines can be categorized into two classes based on the orientation of the rotor. Vertical AxisHorizontal Axis
Types of Electricity Generating Windmills • Small (10 kW) • Homes • Farms • Remote Applications • (e.g. water pumping, telecom sites, ice making) • Intermediate • (10-250 kW) • Village Power • Hybrid Systems • Distributed Power • Large (250 kW - 2+MW) • Central Station Wind Farms • Distributed Power
Modern Small Wind Turbines:High Tech, High Reliability, Low maintenance Technically Advanced Only 2-3 Moving Parts Very Low Maintenance Requirements American Companies are the Market and Technology Leaders. 50 kW 10 kW 400 W 900 W
U.S.’s largest Windmill Manufacturers General Electric Clipper
Impacts of Wind Power: Noise Modern turbines are relatively quiet Rule of thumb – stay about 3x hub-height away from houses
Wind Farms The largest Wind Farm in India, situated in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
1980’s California Wind Farm Older Technology + Lower Elevations + Poorly Sited = Bad News!
Smith-Putnam Turbine Vermont, 1940's