Wind

Energy

Awind turbineis a device that convertskineticenergyfrom

the wind, also calledwindenergy, intomechanicalenergy; a
processknownaswindpower.
If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the
devicemaybecalledwindturbineorwindpowerplant.

Windsareinfluencedbythegroundsurfaceataltitudesupto
100m

Windisslowedbythesurfaceroughnessandobstacles.

Wind
Energy

Present
Scenario

Wind Power Fastest growing

renewable energy source
Globally, it grew at the average rate of
27 % pa over the past 10 years.
While in India it grew at the average
rate of 33% over the past 9 years.
Presently, India is ranked 4th in the
world in terms of Wind Energy
Installed Capacity

Drivers of growth
Environmental Awareness and
Sustainable Development
Growing Global Energy Demand
Improving Competitiveness of
renewable energy
Security of Supply Concerns
New Markets (e.g. India, China etc)
Carbon Trading
Fiscal Benefits by Govt. (PTC, feed
in tariffs, etc)

 The rotor area determines how much energy a wind turbine is

able to harvest from the wind.
A typical 600 kW wind turbine has a rotor diameter of 43-44
meters, i.e. a rotor area of some 1,500 square meters.
Since the rotor area increases with the square of the rotor
diameter, a turbine which is twice as large will receive 22 = 2 x 2 =
four times as much energy.
To be considered a good location
for wind energy, an area needs to
have average annual wind speeds of
at least 12 miles per hour.

Types of Electricity Generating Windmills

Small (10 kW)
Homes
Farms
Remote
Applications
(e.g. water
pumping, telecom
sites, icemaking)

Intermediate
(10-250 kW)
Village Power
Hybrid Systems
Distributed
Power

Large (250 kW 2+MW)

KidWind Project |

Central Station Wind

Farms
www.kidwind.org
Distributed Power

Recent Capacity
Enhancements
2006
5 MW
600

2000
850 kW
265

2003
1.8 MW
350

Turbines Constantly
Improving

Larger turbines
Specialized blade design
Power electronics
Computer modeling

produces more efficient design

Manufacturing improvements

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Wind Turbine Perspective

Workers

Blade
112 long

Nacelle
56 tons

Tower
3 sections

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Importance of Wind Speed

No other factor is more

important to the
amount of power
available in the wind
than the speed of the
wind
Power is a cubic
function of wind speed
V X V X V
20% increase in wind
speed means 73% more
power
Doubling wind speed
means 8 times more
power
KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Wind Energy Natural

Characteristics

Wind Speed

Wind energy increases with the cube of the wind speed

10% increase in wind speed translates into 30% more
electricity
2X the wind speed translates into 8X the electricity

Height

Wind energy increases with height to the 1/7 power

2X the height translates into 10.4% more electricity

10

Wind Energy Natural

Characteristics

Air density

Wind energy increases proportionally with air density

Humid climates have greater air density than dry climates
Lower elevations have greater air density than higher
elevations
Wind energy in Denver about 6% less than at sea level

Blade swept area

Wind energy increases proportionally with swept area of the

blades

Blades are shaped like airplane wings

10% increase in swept diameter translates into 21% greater

swept area
Longest blades up to 413 feet in diameter

Resulting in 600 foot total height

11

Calculation of Wind Power

the= wind
Power
Power
in thein
Wind
AV3
Effect of air density,
Effect of swept area, A
Effect of wind speed, V
R

Swept Area: A = R2
Area of the circle swept
by the rotor (m2).

WindTurbinePower:
P=0.5xrhoxAxCpxV3xNgxNb
P=powerinwatts(746watts=1hp)
rho=airdensity(about1.225kg/m3atsealevel,lesshigherup)
A=rotorsweptarea,exposedtothewind(m2)
Cp=Coefficientofperformance(.59{Betzlimit}isthemaximumtheoreticallypossible,.
35foragooddesign)
V=windspeedinmeters/sec(20mph=9m/s)
Ng=generatorefficiency(50%forcaralternator,80%orpossiblymoreforapermanent
magnetgeneratororgridconnectedinductiongenerator)
Nb=gearbox/bearingsefficiency(depends,couldbeashighas95%ifgood)

Parts of a Wind Turbine

Nacelle Components

10
5

17
1. Hub controller
2. Pitch cylinder
3. Main shaft
4. Oil cooler
5. Gearbox
6. Top Controller
7. Parking Break
8. Service crane
9. Transformer
10. Blade Hub

16
12
12
11. Blade bearing
12. Blade
13. Rotor lock system
14. Hydraulic unit
15. Machine foundation
16. Yaw gears
17. Generator
18. Ultra-sonic sensors
19. Meteorological gauges

17

A Typical HAWT

Turbine Evolution
Usedfor
Pumpingwater
Grindinggrain

Mainlyusedfor
GeneratingElectricity

Classification
Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)
Vertical axis wind turbine(VAWT)
Offshore turbines

Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)

Vertical axis wind turbine(VAWT)

CounterRotatingHAWT

Increasetherotationspeed,Rearoneissmallerand
stallsathighwindspeeds
Operatesforwiderrangeofwindspeeds

HAWT

Liftisthemainforce,Muchlowercyclicstresses
95%oftheexistingturbinesareHAWTs
Nacelleisplacedatthetopofthetower
Yawmechanismisrequired

Typesofturbines
VAWT

Dragisthemainforce

Nacelleisplacedatthebottom

Yawmechanismisnotrequired

Lowerstartingtorque

Difficultyinmountingtheturbine

Unwantedfluctuationsinthepoweroutput

Offshore turbines

Morewindspeeds

Lessnoisepollution

Lessvisualimpact

Difficulttoinstallandmaintain

Energylossesduelongdistancetransport

Yaw-control system

Adjustingthenacelleabouttheverticalaxistobringtherotorfacing
thewindisknownasyawcontrol
Thissystemcontinuouslyorientstherotorinthedirectionofwind
Insmallwindturbines,atailvaneisusedforpassiveyawcontrol
Inlargeturbineshowever,anactiveyawcontrolwithpowersteering
andwinddirectionsensorisusedtomaintaintheorientation

YawMechanism
Toturntheturbineagainstthewind
Yawerrorandfatigueloads
Useselectricmotorsandgearboxes

Yawing Facing the

Wind
Active Yaw (all medium
& large turbines
produced today, & some
small turbines from
Europe)
Anemometer on nacelle
tells controller which way
to point rotor into the
wind
Yaw drive turns gears to
point rotor into wind

Passive Yaw (Most small

turbines)

Wind forces alone direct

rotor

Tail vanes
KidWind Project
Downwind turbines

| www.kidwind.org

Upwind / Downwind

Inanupwindmachine,therotorislocatedupwind(infront)oftower
whereasindownwindmachine,therotorislocateddownwindof(behind)
thetower
Bothtypeshavecertainbenefits
Adownwindmachineallowstheuseoffreeyawsystem(inlowrating
machines).Italsoallowsthebladestodeflectawayfromthetowerwhen
loaded
Howeveritsuffersfromwindshadoweffectsofthetowerontheblades
Anupwindmachine,ontheotherhand,produceshigherpowerasit
eliminatesthetowershadowontheblades.Thisalsoresultsinlowernoise,
lowbladefatigueandsmootherpoweroutput

Teetering of rotor

Aswindspeedriseswithheight,theaxialforceonbladewhenitattains
upperpositionissignificantlyhigherascomparedtothatwhenitisat
lowerposition
Foroneortwo-bladedrotors,thiscausescyclic(sinusoidal)loadonarigid
hubleadingtofatigue
Thisisgreatlyrelievedbyprovidingateeterhinge(apivotwithinthehub)
thatallowsasee-sawmotiontotakeplaceoutoftheplaneofrotation(i.e.,
verticalplane)
Therotorleansbackwardstoaccommodatetheextraforceasshownin
figurereductionofbladeloadneartherootby40%
Theuseofthirdbladehasapproximatelythesameeffectasateeterhinge
onhub
Therefore teetering is not required when the no. of blades is 3 or more

blade profile - 2/3 blades

Modernwindturbineshave2/3 blades
2/3bladerotorHAWTarealsoknownaspropeller-typewind
turbinesowingtotheirsimilaritywithpropellersofold
aeroplanes
Therelativemeritsanddemeritsof2/3 blade rotorsareas
follows
Comparedtothetwo-bladedesign,thethree-blademachine
hassmootherpoweroutputandbalancedgyroscopicforce
Thereisnoneedtoteetertherotorallowingtheuseofsimple
rigidhub.Thebladesmaybecross-linkedforgreaterrigidity

Cont

Addingathirdbladeincreasesthepoweroutputbyabout5%
only,whiletheweightandcostofrotorincreasesby50%,
thusgivingadiminishedrateofreturnforadditional50%
weightandcost
Thetwo-bladerotorisalsosimplertoerect,sinceitcanbe
assembledonthegroundandliftedtotheshaftwithout
complicatedmaneuversduringthelift
ThreebladesaremorecommoninEuropeandother
developingcountriesincludingIndia.TheAmericanpractice,
however,isfavouroftwoblades

Turbine design and

construction

Blades

MaterialusedAluminum

Typicallength

Towerheight

Heightstwicethebladelengthare
foundeconomical

Numberofblades

ThreebladeHAWTaremostefficient

Twobladeturbinesdontrequireahub

Asthenumberincreases;noise,wearandcost
increaseandefficiencydecreases

Multiplebladeturbinesaregenerallyusedfor
waterpumpingpurposes

Rotationalcontrol

Maintenance

Noisereduction

Centripetalforcereduction

Mechanisms

Stalling

Furling

Windturbinesafety

Sensorscontrollingvibrations

Overspeedprotection

Aerodynamicbraking

Mechanicalbraking

The Future of Wind Energy

Future of wind energy can be bright if

government policies subsidize and
encourage its use.
Technology improvements unlikely to have
a major impact.
Can become cost competitive for electricity
generation if fossil energy costs skyrocket.

Lift and drag forces

StatewisepotentialinIndia,2005

i.

Application of wind mill.

.
Forwaterpumping.

ii. Whenwindenergyisproduceditdoesnotcreateanyilleffecton
environment.
iii. Forproducingelectricpower.
iv. Forrunningflourmill.
v. Asstandbyenergysource.
vi. Forrunningdomesticappliances&lighting.
vii. Forbatterycharging.
viii.Theoperatingcostofwindmillisverylow.
ix. Combiningwithsolargenerationsystemtosupplyadditionalpower.
x. PumpingWaterforIrrigation
xi. Itdoesnotcreategreenhousegases.
xii. WindmillsinWarfare-usedaswatchtowers

advantages
windisafreeresource
itdoesnotrequirefuel
Itdoesnotcreategreenhousegases.
Itdoesnotproducetoxicorradioactivewaste
disadvantages
windenergyisitsintermittentsupply
an involuntary process and does not meet the
requirementsalwaysontime

Power density is very low.

Cost.
Environmental costs.

Needs a very large number of wind mills to

produce modest amounts of power.

material and maintenance costs.

Noise, birds and appearance.

Cannot meet large scale and

transportation energy needs.

Market Barriers

Siting

Avian
Noise
Aesthetics

Intermittent source of power

Transmission constraints
Operational characteristics different from
conventional fuel sources
Financing

48

Wind Energy and the Grid

Pros

Small project size

Short/flexible development time
Dispatchability

Cons

Generally remote location

Grid connectivity -- lack of transmission capability
Intermittent output

Only When the wind blows (night? Day?)

Low capacity factor

Predicting the wind -- were getting better

49

Birds - A Serious Obstacle

Birds of Prey (hawks, owls, golden eagles) in jeopardy

Altamont Pass News Update from Sept 22

shut down all the turbines for at least two months each winter
eliminate the 100 most lethal turbines
Replace all before permits expire in 13 years
50

 Environmental benefits
No emissions
No fuel needed
Distributed power
Remote locations

Wind Characteristics &

Consequences

Remote location and low capacity factor

Higher

transmission investment per unit output

Small project size and quick development

time
Planning

mismatch with transmission investment

Intermittent output
Higher

system operating costs if systems and

protocols not designed properly

52

Jobs in the Wind Industry

Construction

Operation
s/Mainten
ance

Maintenance

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

Engineerin
g/Design

Carnag
e!