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MODULE III
Syllabus:
 Wind energy
 Principle of wind energy conversion system
 Wind data and energy estimation
 Wind turbines
 Aerodynamics of wind turbines
 Wind power economics
 Introduction to solar – wind hybrid energy systems

Introduction:
Wind energy is a source of renewable power which comes from air current flowing
across the earth's surface. ... Green Power: The electricity produced from wind power is said to
be "clean" because its generation produces no pollution or greenhouse gases.
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity generation in the
world today. These growth trends can be linked to the multi-dimensional benefits associated with
wind energy.
 Green Power: The electricity produced from wind power is said to be "clean" because its
generation produces no pollution or greenhouse gases. As both health and environmental
concerns are on the rise, clean energy sources are a growing demand.
 Sustainable: Wind is a renewable energy resource, it is inexhaustible and requires no
"fuel" besides the wind that blows across the earth. This infinite energy supply is a
security that many users view as a stable investment in our energy economy as well as in
our children's' future.
 Affordable: Wind power is a cost-competitive source of electricity, largely due to
technological advancements, as well as economies of scale as more of these machines are
manufactured and put online around the world.
 Economic Development: As well as being affordable, wind power is a locally-produced
source of electricity that enables communities to keep energy dollars in their economy.
Job creation (manufacturing, service, construction, and operation) and tax base increase
are other economic development benefits for communities utilizing wind energy.

Wind energy is a form of solar energy. Wind energy (or wind power) describes the
process by which wind is used to generate electricity. Wind turbines convert the
kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. A generator can convert mechanical power
into electricity.
A windmill converts wind energy into rotational energy by means of its blades. The
basic principle of every windmill is to convert kinetic energy of wind into
mechanical energy which is used to rotate the turbine of electrical generator to produce
electricity.
Wind power generation capacity in India has significantly increased in recent years. As of
30 June 2018 the total installed wind power capacity was 34.293 GW, the fourth largest installed
wind power capacity in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly spread across the South, West
and North regions
55 MW production of wind power is installed in Kerala. The first wind farm of the state
was set up 1997 at Kanjikode in Palakkad district.

Principle of wind energy conversion system:

A wind energy conversion system (WECS), or wind energy harvester is a machine
that, powered by the energy of the wind, generates mechanical energy that can be used to directly
power machinery (mill, pump,) or to power an electrical generator for making electricity. The
term can thus refer to windmills, wind pumps as well as wind turbines.

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Wind power production has been under the main focus for the past decade in power
production and tremendous amount of research work is going on renewable energy, specifically
on wind power extraction. Wind power provides an ecofriendly power generation and helps to
meet the national energy demand when there is a diminishing trend in terms of non-renewable
resources.

Block diagram of wind energy conversion system supported converter.

Wind data and energy estimation

Long term measurements are needed for a good wind energy assessment. The longer the
period of collected data the more reliable are the estimated wind potentials. ... The data were
used to evaluate frequencies of a certain wind speed as well as the monthly and annual
mean wind speeds.
The calculation of the wind resources on-site and the corresponding energy production
are based on the assessment of wind potentials by anemometric measurement. The wind data is
processed by software packages to calculate the expected wind energy yield for the proposed
site.
An anemometer is a device used for measuring wind speed, and is also a common
weather station instrument. The arms are attached to a vertical rod. As the wind blows, the cups
rotate, making the rod spin. The stronger the wind blows, the faster the rod spins. The
anemometer counts the number of rotations, or turns, which is used to calculate wind speed.
Wind speed is the rate of the movement of wind in distance per unit of time. It is the rate of the
movement of air flow. It can be reported in a couple of ways: knots or nautical miles per hour, or
statute miles per hour. Wind speed can be affected by terrain and obstacles such as buildings or
trees.

The Betz limit is the theoretical maximum efficiency for a wind turbine, conjectured by
German physicist Albert Betz in 1919. Betz concluded that this value is 59.3%, meaning that at
most only 59.3% of the kinetic energy from wind can be used to spin the turbine and generate
electricity

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The Ideal Braking of the Wind
The more kinetic energy a wind turbine pulls out of the wind, the more the wind will be
slowed down as it leaves the left side of the turbine in the picture.
If we tried to extract all the energy from the wind, the air would move away with the speed
zero, i.e. the air could not leave the turbine. In that case we would not extract any energy at all,
since all of the air would obviously also be prevented from entering the rotor of the turbine.
In the other extreme case, the wind could pass though our tube above without being hindered
at all. In this case we would likewise not have extracted any energy from the wind.
We can therefore assume that there must be some way of braking the wind which is in
between these two extremes, and is more efficient in converting the energy in the wind to useful
mechanical energy. It turns out that there is a surprisingly simple answer to this: An ideal wind
turbine would slow down the wind by 2/3 of its original speed.

1 2 1 1
K .E. 2 mv ( V )v 2 (  AL)v 2 1
Power   2 2   Av 3
t t t t 2

Wind turbines
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into electricity. The
blades of a wind turbine turn between 13 and 20 revolutions per minute, depending on their
technology, at a constant or variable velocity, where the velocity of the rotor varies in relation to
the velocity of the wind in order to reach a greater efficiency.

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Wind turbines are classified as below
1. Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)
A horizontal Axis Wind Turbine is the most common wind turbine design. In
addition to being parallel to the ground, the axis of blade rotation is parallel to the
wind flow.

A. Mono blade
B. Double blade
C. Triple blade
D. Multiple blade

2. Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)

A vertical axis machine has its blades rotating on an axis perpendicular to the
ground.

A. Savonius Wind Turbine

The Savonius turbine is S-shaped if viewed from above. This drag-type
VAWT turns relatively slowly, but yields a high torque. It is useful for
grinding grain, pumping water, and many other tasks, but its slow
rotational speeds make it unsuitable for generating electricity on a large-
scale.
B. Darrieus Wind Turbine
The Darrieus turbine is the most famous vertical axis wind turbone. It is
characterised by its C-shaped rotor blades which give it its eggbeater
appearance. It is normally built with two or three blades.
C. Giromill Wind Turbine
The giromill is typically powered by two or three vertical aerofoils
attached to the central mast by horizontal supports. Giromill turbines work
well in turbulent wind conditions and are an affordable option where a
standard horizontal axis windmill type turbine is unsuitable.
D. Flapping Panel Wind Turbine
The wind can actually come from any direction and the wind turbine will
work the same way.

Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)

A horizontal Axis Wind Turbine is the most common wind turbine design. In addition to
being parallel to the ground, the axis of blade rotation is parallel to the wind flow.

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WORKING:
Horizontal axis wind turbines are the most common type used (see figure 1). All of the
components (blades, shaft, and generator) are on top of a tall tower, and the blades face into the
wind. The shaft is horizontal to the ground. The wind hits the blades of the turbine that are
connected to a shaft causing rotation. The shaft has a gear on the end which turns a generator.
The generator produces electricity and sends the electricity into the power grid. The wind turbine
also has some key elements that add to efficiency. Inside the Nacelle (or head) are an
anemometer, wind vane, and controller that read the speed and direction of the wind. As the
wind changes direction, a motor (yaw motor) turns the nacelle so the blades are always facing
the wind. The power source also comes with a safety feature. In case of extreme winds the
turbine has a break that can slow the shaft speed. This is to inhibit any damage to the turbine in
extreme conditions.

Wind Turbine Basic Parts & Functions

For those of you who are interested to know more about wind turbines, below are their basic
parts and functions:
 Anemometer – is a tool that measures wind speed.
 Blades – are the main electricity-generating parts of the turbine. Once wind passes
through it, they will rotate thereby causing a series of reaction which will eventually lead
to electricity production.
 Brake – as with any other break, this is used to stop the turbines in emergency cases. This
could be a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic break.
 Controller – this dictates the wind speed at which turbines start and stop. It usually starts
the machine when the wind hits 8 mph and stops it upon reaching 55 mph. It is an
important part of the machine since it automatically stops any machine activity when
wind speed is more than 55 mph because blades may easily be damaged.
 Generator – produces electricity usually at 60 cycles.
 Shaft – signals the generator to conduct electricity.
 Tower – is a place where turbines may be placed to get more wind.

Advantages
• Blades are to the side of the turbines center of gravity, helping stability
• Ability to wing warp, which gives the turbine blades the best angle of attack
• Ability to pitch the rotor blades in a storm to minimize damage
• Tall tower allows access to stronger wind in sites with wind shear
• Tall tower allows placement on uneven land or in offshore locations
• Can be sited in forest above tree-line
• Most are self-starting

Disadvantages
• Difficulty operating in near ground winds
• Difficult to transport (20% of equipment costs)
• Difficult to install (require tall cranes and skilled operators)
• Effect radar in proximity
• Local opposition to aesthetics
• Difficult maintenance

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Vertical axis turbines
In vertical axis turbines the shaft the blades are connected to is vertical to the ground. All
of the main components are close to the ground. Also, the wind turbine itself is near the ground,
unlike horizontal where everything is on a tower. There are two types of vertical axis wind
turbines; lift based and drag based. Lift based designs are generally much more efficient than
drag, or ‘paddle’ designs.

Advantages
• Easy to maintain
• Lower construction and transportation costs
• Not directional
• Most effective at mesas, hilltops, ridgelines and passes

Disadvantages
• Blades constantly spinning back into the wind causing drag
• Less efficient
• Operate in lower, more turbulent wind
• Low starting torque and may require energy to start turning

 Aerodynamics of wind turbines

The most familiar type of aerodynamic force is drag. The direction of the drag
force is parallel to the relative wind. Lift-based wind turbines typically have lifting surfaces
moving perpendicular to the flow. Here, the relative wind does not decrease; rather, it increases
with rotor speed.
The wind’s force to push the blades into motion, modern turbines uses more
sophisticated aerodynamic principles to capture the wind’s energy most effectively? The two
primary aerodynamic forces at work in wind-turbine rotors are lift, which acts perpendicular to
the direction of wind flow; and drag, which acts parallel to the direction of wind flow

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Turbine Aerodynamics
Turbine blades are shaped a lot like airplane wings -- they use an airfoil design. In an
airfoil, one surface of the blade is somewhat rounded, while the other is relatively flat. When
wind travels over the rounded, downwind face of the blade, it has to move faster to reach the end
of the blade in time to meet the wind travelling over the flat, upwind face of the blade (facing the
direction from which the wind is blowing). Since faster moving air tends to rise in the
atmosphere, the downwind, curved surface ends up with a low-pressure pocket just above it. The
low-pressure area sucks the blade in the downwind direction, an effect known as "lift." On the
upwind side of the blade, the wind is moving slower and creating an area of higher pressure that
pushes on the blade, trying to slow it down. A high lift-to-drag ratio is essential in designing an
efficient turbine blade. Turbine blades are twisted so they can always present an angle that takes
advantage of the ideal lift-to-drag force ratio.
Aerodynamics is not the only design consideration at play in creating an effective wind
turbine. Size matters -- the longer the turbine blades (and therefore the greater the diameter of the
rotor), the more energy a turbine can capture from the wind and the greater the electricity-
generating capacity. Generally speaking, doubling the rotor diameter produces a four-fold
increase in energy output. In some cases, however, in a lower-wind-speed area, a smaller-
diameter rotor can end up producing more energy than a larger rotor because with a smaller
setup, it takes less wind power to spin the smaller generator, so the turbine can be running at full
capacity almost all the time. Tower height is a major factor in production capacity, as well. The
higher the turbine, the more energy it can capture because wind speeds increase with elevation
increase -- ground friction and ground-level objects interrupt the flow of the wind. Scientists
estimate a 12 percent increase in wind speed with each doubling of elevation.

 Wind power economics

Power and energy in the wind: It is well known that wind is certainly an inexhaustible
abundant source of energy which is caused by the differential solar radiation on the Earth’s geo-
diverse surfaces, having different degrees of absorption / reflection / refraction / convection
/transmission. Wind power is not only a renewable green source of energy; but also results in
significant saving of potable/drinking water, which is much needed for human survival.
Electricity generation by wind consumes only (1/ 200) th to (1/ 400) th of water that is used by
nuclear/oil/coal. We understand the wind as breeze (gentle/comfortable), a force to reckon with
at times of design of structures, a power to harness through wind machines and a brute
force/power to be resisted during cyclones/hurricanes. We need to be clear that a Country with a
long coast line need not necessarily be having economic/technical potential for wind power with
its diurnal variations of land breeze/sea breeze. At the other extreme the mere occurrence of good
monsoon or frequency of cyclones & hurricanes may not provide an economical viability, a
technical feasibility of wind power. When wind (i.e. velocity ‘U’) is a resource, it has a force

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proportional to square of wind velocity (U2 ), the power proportional to cube of wind velocity
(U3 ).
The economics of wind power. It is often stated that since no one can charge money for
the wind, wind-generated electricity is free. A modern wind turbine, which can generate 2
megawatts of electricity (MWe) when the wind is blowing, costs about $3.5 million installed

 Introduction to solar – wind hybrid energy systems

Solar-Wind hybrid Power system is the combined power generating system by wind mill
and solar energy panel. It also includes a battery which is used to store the energy generated
from both the sources. Both units can be generated power when both sources are available.

Components:
1. Photovoltaic solar power
2. Wind Power
3. Batteries
4. Inverter
5. Microcontroller

1. Photovoltaic solar power

Solar panels are the medium to convert solar energy into the electrical energy. Solar
panels can convert the energy directly or heat the water with the induced energy. PV (Photo-
voltaic) cells are made up from semiconductor structures as in the computer technologies.
Sun rays are absorbed with this material and electrons are emitted from the atoms .This
release activates a current. Photovoltaic is known as the process between radiation absorbed
and the electricity induced. Solar power is converted into the electric power by a common
principle called photo electric effect. The solar cell array or panel consists of an appropriate

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number of solar cell modules connected in series or parallel based on the required current and
voltage.
2. Wind Power
The wind energy is a renewable source of energy. Wind turbines are used to convert the
wind power into electric power. Electric generator inside the turbine converts the mechanical
power into the electric power. Wind turbine systems are available ranging from 50W to 3-4
MW. The energy production by wind turbines depends on the wind velocity acting on the
turbine. Wind power is able to feed both energy production and demand in the rural areas. It
is used to run a windmill which in turn drives a wind generator or wind turbine to produce
electricity.
3. Batteries
The batteries in the system provide to store the electricity that is generated from the wind
or the solar power. Any required capacity can be obtained by serial or parallel connections of
the batteries. The battery that provides the most advantageous operation in the solar and wind
power systems are maintenance free dry type and utilizes the special electrolytes. These
batteries provide a perfect performance for long discharges
4. Inverter
Energy stored in the battery is drawn by electrical loads through the inverter, which
converts DC power into AC power. The inverter has in-built protection for Short-Circuit,
Reverse Polarity, Low Battery Voltage and Over Load.
5. Microcontroller
The microcontroller compares the input of both Power system and gives the signal to the
particular relay and charges the DC Battery. The DC voltage is converted into AC Supply by
Inverter Circuit. The MOSFET (IRF 540) is connected to the Secondary of the centre tapped
transformer. By triggering of MOSFET alternatively, the current flow in the Primary winding
is also alternative in nature and we get the AC supply in the primary winding of the
transformer

Working:
Solar-Wind hybrid Power system is the combined power generating system by wind mill
and solar energy panel. It also includes a battery which is used to store the energy generated
from both the sources. Using this system power generation by windmill when wind source is
available and generation from PV module when light radiation is available can be achieved.
Both units can be generated power when both sources are available. By providing the battery
uninterrupted power supply is possible when both sources are idle
The power generated from wind mill is of AC voltage which is converted through AC-
DC rectifier. A special type of converter is used to step up or step down through MOSFET
switching called “SEPIC” converter for wind mill. For solar system converter is used for the
regulation. The micro controller incorporated in this scheme, which regularly refers the
operation of sources and switches the corresponding converters and fed into change the
battery or to the load through inverters. The output of the inverter is connected with the load
and after that the voltage is stepped up by a transformer. The driver circuit is used to give the
gate signal for the MOSFET of converters.

Advantages:
1. Best for remote area power systems
2. Two different energy sources provide a diversity of supply, reducing the risk of
power outages.
3. Can be used for 24-hrs power generation
4. The daily output will be more stable
5. Operational in all weather condition
6. Green energy

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Disadvantage:
1. Infrastructure cost may be high
2. Too labor intensive
3. Wind turbine cannot operate in high or low wind speeds
4. Not for large scale production
5. Control more complicated
6. Independent systems require more maintenance

Applications of solar wind hybrid energy system

• Street lighting: The foremost application of SWHES is solar street lighting. Solar Street
light become as SWHES lighting. Use of this reduces the load from conventional power
plants.
• Household: Residential appliances can use power generated through hybrid solar wind
energy system. SWHES are used to supply electricity to different offices or other parts of
the building in reliable manner.
• Remote Applications: like military services where it is impossible to provide
conventional power supply.
• Ventilation system: The proposed systems are also used for ventilation purposes, these
helps in running Bath fans, floor fans and ceiling fans in buildings.
• Power Pump: SWHES can also help to pump the water to any building. DC power
operated pump can circulate the water through your home.
• Village Power: The proposed system is very useful in villages which are in valley and on
hills, where it is not possible to send electricity.
• On shore : The wind blows more at coastal areas, SWHES are installed near sea and on
the boats for power generation
• Commercial: In hotels, tourist places SWHES give the required electric power.

 Advantages and disadvantage of wind power

Advantages of Wind Power

• Is a clean source of energy? According to the Wind Vision Report, wind has the
potential to reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 14%, saving $400 billion in
avoided global damage by 2050
• Sustainable -
• Larger Capacity in lesser Space
• Availability of Modern Technologies
• Can be Built on Existing Farms
• Does not consume water like the conventional electricity sources
• Negligible carbon foot print in manufacturing of the equipment
• Job Creation - In 2016, the wind energy sector invested more than $8.8 billion of private
capital. Economy to build projects and employed more than 101,000 workers
(approximately 30% women, 11% veterans, and 25% minorities)

Disadvantages of Wind Power

• Cost of power – The cost of power generated by wind mills is directly dependent on the
wind speed at the site. At lower wind speeds, the cost of wind power is more than the
traditional power sources
• Huge installation costs – While the wind energy systems are very expensive to
manufacture and install, most of the locations suited for wind energy are in remote places
making it even more difficult and escalates the cost of installation

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• Noise Pollution – Wind turbines create noise hence not very suitable for installation in
residential areas Visual Impact to Landscape – Typically wind turbines are setup at a
height of 50-80 mts above the ground and hence impacts the view of the landscape
• Danger to wildlife – While the danger to wild life from wind energy is far less compared
to traditional sources, birds have been killed flying into rotating turbine blades. Hence
wind energy is not suitable for ecologically sensitive areas
• Seasonality – Wind energy across geographies is seasonal, hence the reliability of wind
energy is low
• Suitability – Wind energy is not suitable for every geography. In India, only 4 states are
very well suited for sustained wind energy
• Higher transmission costs – Since wind mills/farms are established in remote areas, high
costs are incurred to setup new transmission lines to connect to the grid

The applications of Wind Power

 Generation of Electricity - Windmills harness wind energy to create electricity. Its a

clean & green form of energy.
 Transportation - The power of the wind is used for propulsion in sailing vessels and
sail boats
 Pumping water - Similar to windmills the energy from the wind is used to drive a
pump.
 Milling Grain - Grain milling is certain locations are done using wind energy.
 Sports - A number of sports use wind energy as their source like Wind Surfing, Land
Surfing, Kite boarding

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