Wind Energy Philip Winterland

What Is Wind and Wind Energy  Wind is the movement of the air and is produced by the heating of the earth’s atmosphere  The harnessing of wind to produce mechanical work is wind energy  What are some types of wind energy –Sail Boats, Electrical Power Generation, Pumps, etc

Courtesy of Neil Kelly - NWTC

When Did It Start?  Believed to have started in Egypt around 5,000 years ago (3000 B.C.) 1 –Used to sail from shore to shore  First actual windmills were in Babylon around 2000 B.C. –Used for agricultural purposes 1

History of Wind  Ancient World –Egyptians – 3000 B.C. –Babylonians – 2000 B.C.  Medieval World –Commonly used by 1100 A.D. –No major changes since the ancient times  Modern Times –1890’s sees the first electrical generating wind turbines in Denmark –By the 1940’s, multi megawatt machines have been designed and built –In the 70’s and 80’s, the main types of wind turbines were kW sized machines (10’s to 100’s of kW’s) –Today multi megawatt machines are built and installed world wide

History of Wind 3000 B.C. – Sail Boats - Egypt 2000 B.C. Wind Mills - Babylon 0 A.D. Common Agricultural Use – 1100 A.D. Invention of the Light Bulb First Electrical Generating Wind Turbines First Megawatt Turbine 1940 Present The harnessing of wind for work has been around for nearly 5,000 years!!! Why is it just now so important??

Why Wind Energy?  Using wind for utility scale electric generation began around 40 years ago during the mid-east oil embargo –Showed the vulnerabilities associated with relying on one form of energy  Its good for the environment. –Once built, wind farms produce little to no green house gasses (mostly from maintenance and driving to inspect the towers)  Developing alternative sources of energy is critical to supporting not only the environment, but also to national security. –Where do we get a lot of our gas and oil? Is it an unstable region?

Why Wind Energy  Wind farms create many jobs (production, maintenance, construction, etc) –In one town, a 1,000 MW farm was put in and it created 2,500 new jobs and increased the town’s tax base by almost 30% 2  Wind energy reduces the affects and costs of energy supply shortages –By diversifying where and how energy is produced, you dampen the effects of a fuel shortage

Modern Wind Energy  Simply put, modern wind turbines transfer energy from the air to mechanical energy which then makes electrical energy  In reality, large turbines (multi-megawatt) machines are complex machines requiring a massive amount of planning and design

Modern Turbines Photos courtesy of Walt Musial - NREL

Pros Of Wind Energy  Its clean –Does not generate green house gasses during operation  Its environmentally friendly (sort of) –You do need to lubricate the machinery (oil, etc) –It does reduce the amount of CO 2 that would need to be produced with traditional power sources  Relatively quiet –Only 45 decibels at 1,000 ft (as loud as your refrigerator)  The energy source is free! Don’t have to buy fuel!

Cons of Wind Energy  Its more expensive –The turbines cost a fair amount to build –It costs about $800-$1000 per kW to install  Takes a lot of land –You can only space the turbines so close, otherwise you get significant turbulence damage on the turbine –At sea you have to lay miles of cabling under water to transmit the generated electricity  Other forms of energy may be needed to diversify the energy portfolio –Sometimes its not a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket for energy  Depending on the area, power is not produced at peak hours –Having power at peak hours is important for meeting demand

Courtesy of Neil Kelly - NWTC

Common Myths  Wind Turbines Kill Too Many Birds –Human related activities kill many more birds on average than wind power plants (less than 1 in 10,000 are killed at wind farms). –Wind energy got a bad rap at Altamont Pass, CA for killing raptors. Migratory paths can be avoided and systems are being developed to prevent birds from coming near the turbines.  They are noisy –Right around 45 decibels at 1000 ft (about as loud as your refrigerator)  You can’t produce enough power with it or its not reliable enough –All forms of electrical generation require backup supplies. –As more energy is installed over a large area, the effects of one farm being offline is mitigated by others being online

Common Myths  Its not economically viable –All forms of energy generation have tax credits to help keep the cost of energy low –As more turbines are produced and more farms are installed, the COE is lowered signifigantly –Currenly its 7.5 cents/kWh to buy from traditional sources  Wind turbines are unsafe –All turbines must meet stringent requirements to be certified. –The NWTC tests blades and turbines right down the road.  Wind Turbines don’t reduce green house gasses –Constructing and making the turbines, somewhere on the line, will produce green house gasses. –Wind turbines themselves, unlike modern coal power plants, do not produce green house gasses.

Conclusions  Wind energy has been around for a long time, but has changed significantly in the last 100 years.  Wind energy is a safe, reliable, clean source of energy.  The energy source itself is clean and renewable (as long as the sun doesn’t turn off).

Questions??