WIND POWER

By: Dr. Muhammad Faisal Nadeem

Associate Professor
Electrical Engineering Department

 What is it?
 How does it work?
 Efficiency
 WIND POWER - What is it?
 All renewable energy , ultimately comes from the sun

 The earth receives 1.74 x 1017 watts of power (per hour) from the sun

 About one or 2 percent of this energy is converted to wind energy

(which is about 50-100 times more than the energy converted to
biomass by all plants on earth

 Differential heating of the earth’s surface

and atmosphere induces vertical and horizontal
air currents that are affected by the earth’s
rotation and contours of the land  WIND.
~ e.g.: Land Sea Breeze Cycle
 Winds are influenced by the ground
surface at altitudes up to 100 meters

 Wind is slowed by the surface

roughness and obstacles.

 When dealing with wind energy, we are

concerned with surface winds.

 A wind turbine obtains its power input

by converting the force of the wind into
a torque (turning force) acting on the
rotor blades.

 The amount of energy which the wind

transfers to the rotor depends on the
density of the air, the rotor area, and the
wind speed.
 Kinetic energy of a moving body is
proportional to its mass (or weight).
 Kinetic energy in the wind thus
depends on the density of the air,
i.e. its mass per unit of volume.
 “Heavier" the air, the more energy
is received by the turbine.
 At 15° Celsius air weighs about
1.225 kg per cubic meter, but the
density decreases slightly with
increasing humidity.
 A typical 600 kW wind turbine has
a rotor diameter of 43-44 meters,
ie. rotor area of some 1,500 square
meters.
 The rotor area determines how much energy a wind
turbine can harvest from the wind.

 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 or 6 meters per second.
History of Wind Power
 History of Wind Power
Harvesting wind power is not a new idea –sailing ships,
wind-mills, wind-pumps.
 1st Wind Energy Systems
– Ancient Civilization in the Near East / Persia
– Vertical-Axis Wind-Mill: sails connected to a vertical shaft
connected to a grinding stone for milling
 Wind in the Middle Ages
– Post Mill Introduced in Northern Europe
– Horizontal-Axis Wind-Mill: sails connected to a horizontal
shaft on a tower encasing gears and axles for translating
horizontal into rotational motion
Wind in 19th century US
– Wind-rose horizontal-axis water-pumping wind-mills found
throughout rural America
Growth of Wind Power Generation
Country wise Installed Capacity (MW)
 Wind Power installation in 2020
 A new record year for the
wind industry.
 93 GW of new wind power
capacity was installed in 2020,
driven by China and the US.
 Achieving this record in the
face of disruptions to both
the global supply chain, project
construction and global economy
due to the impacts of COVID-19
has demonstrated the incredible
resilience of the wind industry.
WINDMILL DESIGN
 A Windmill captures wind
energy and then uses a
generator to convert it to
electrical energy.

 The design of a windmill is an

integral part of how efficient it
will be.

 When designing a windmill,

one must decide on the size of
the turbine, and the size of the
generator.
 Designs of Wind Turbines
 One convenient categorization is the
following:
– “Horizontal” Axis Machines

– “Vertical” Axis Machines

 The words “horizontal” and “vertical”

are normally used, but we are really
referring to rotors with axes that are
either parallel (horizontal) or
perpendicular (vertical) to the local
wind velocity.
 Each type has certain advantages and
disadvantages
 Wind Turbine Classification
 Horizontal Axis Machines: Machines with rotors
that move in a plane perpendicular to the
direction of the wind.
– A farmers windmill, for example.

 Vertical Axis Machines: Machines that have the

working surfaces traveling in the direction of the
wind.
Examples of Horizontal Axis
Machines
Examples of Vertical Axis
Machines
 Advantages of VAWT
 VAWTs generally function better than HAWTs in turbulent and gusty
winds
 In VAWTs, gearbox replacement and maintenance are simpler and more
efficient, as the gearbox is accessible at ground level, so that that no
cranes or other large equipment are needed on-site. This reduces costs
and impact on the environment.
 VAWTs can be grouped more closely in wind farms, increasing the
generated power per unit of land area.
 VAWTs can be installed on HAWT wind farm below the existing
HAWTs; this can supplement the power output of the existing farm.
 The structure is usually simpler.
 You do not need a yaw (pointing) mechanism to turn the rotor against the
wind.
 These are easier for hobbyists to build – little detailed knowledge of
aerodynamics is needed for simple designs.
 Disadvantages of VAWT
 These structures are low to the ground, where wind speeds are lowest.
 The overall efficiency is much lower than horizontal axis machines.
 Efficiency of a HAWT lays between 40 to 50 %, meaning the turbine is
able to convert 40% to 50 % of the kinetic energy it receives into actual
electrical power. On the other hand, a Savonius VAWT has an average
efficiency of 10 to 17 %, while the Darrieus VAWT reaches 30 to 40 %.
 Most vertical axis machines are not self starting. This is because the wing
design of Darrieus wind turbines does not always guide the wind to form
enough torque for rotation.
 Many vertical axis machines require guy wires which greatly increase the
structural footprint. ]
 Often placed on ground level and populated environments, vertical axis
wind turbines face more turbulence and issues of vibrations.
– For example, replacement of the generator typically requires
disassembly of the entire machine.
 Current Status of Vertical Axis
Machines
 The only commercially available vertical
axis machine that was built in large
quantities was the Darrieus rotor, built by
Flowind Inc.
 Flowind declared bankruptcy in 1997.
 There are several vertical axis concepts that
are being studied.
 They all face the same challenges that scuttled
previous efforts.
Darrieus Wind Turbine at SNL,
Early 1980’s?
 Advantages of HAWT
 Currently, horizontal axis wind turbines have the highest efficiency.
They can transform 40 to 50 % of received wind power into electricity.
 Horizontal axis wind turbines are generally built to have a capacity
ranging between 2 to 8 MW, depending on the usage.
 Due to the height of the rotors, horizontal axis wind turbines are able to
receive wind with greater speed.
 Since the air flow at such height is relatively stable, horizontal axis
wind turbines enjoy more consistency in wind and thus in power output.
 They are self starting.
 The technology is better developed.
 They are available commercially.
 Disadvantages of HAWT
 Many of the important parts that require maintenance are high off the
ground.
 A yaw mechanism must be in place to turn the turbine into the wind.
 Due to the sheer size of horizontal axis wind turbines, transporting and
installing them come with great logistic and technical challenges.
 With blades sometimes as long as 70 meters and as heavy as 20 tons,
horizontal axis wind turbines might just not fit onto the narrow, curvy
roads of mountainous areas, or even our day-to-day roads where houses,
utility poles, and streetlamps line up the sides.
 environmental impact generally include the noise emission caused by
enormous blades swooping across the air, the gigantic drop shadow, and
the effect on wildlife and local ecosystems.
 Strict Regulations for Installation
 Current Status of Horizontal Axis
Machines

• Virtually all grid connected wind turbines in

operation today are propeller type designs mounted
on a horizontal axis.
• Some of these machines have the ability to pitch up
and down to face the wind as directly as possible.
• Instructor - make sure everyone knows the aircraft
terminology of “pitch,” “yaw,” and “roll” axes!

• These designs are being improved on.

LARGE TURBINES:

• Able to deliver electricity at lower cost

than smaller turbines, because foundation
costs, planning costs, etc. are independent
of size.

• Well-suited for offshore wind plants.

• In areas where it is difficult to find sites,

one large turbine on a tall tower uses the
wind extremely efficiently.
SMALL TURBINES:
• Local electrical grids may not be able to handle the large
electrical output from a large turbine, so smaller turbines may be
more suitable.
• High costs for foundations for large turbines may not be
economical in some areas.
• Landscape considerations
Wind Turbines: Number of Blades
 Most common design is the three-bladed turbine. The most important
reason is the stability of the turbine. A rotor with an odd number of rotor
blades (and at least three blades) can be considered to be similar to a disc
when calculating the dynamic properties of the machine.
 A rotor with an even number of blades will give stability problems for a
machine with a stiff structure. The reason is that at the very moment when the
uppermost blade bends backwards, because it gets the maximum power from
the wind, the lowermost blade passes into the wind shade in front of the
tower.
 Number of Blades and “Solidity”
 The property called “solidity” is important in turbine (and
compressor) design.
 Solidity is defined as the fraction of the swept area that is occupied by
a working blade.
 A farmers windmill is a high-solidity device, while a single blade
rotor, illustrated earlier, is a low solidity device.
 An efficient turbine must interact with as much of the wind passing
through the swept area as possible.
 As the solidity decreases, the rotor speed must increase for this to
happen.
– Therefore, as the number of blades decrease, the required speed for maximum
efficiency must increase.
 How Many Blades?
 Two-blade designs are problematic because they can lead to
structural instability for stiff structures.
– This is because as one blade passes the wind shade of the tower,
generating its minimum lift, the other blade is above the tower
generating its maximum lift.
 Three blade designs avoid this problem, and are able to
rotate slower.
– This is more or less the standard design right now – and is called
(at least by the Danes) the “Classical Danish Design.”
 This terminology also refers to certain control and power take off schemes.
 How Many Blades?
(continued)

 One blade concepts have also been tried.

 An Illustration of these three types is given
by the following hyperlink:
 www.windpower.org/en/tour/design/concepts.htm
• Wind power generators convert
wind energy (mechanical energy)
to electrical energy.
• The generator is attached at one
end to the wind turbine, which
provides the mechanical energy.
• At the other end, the generator is
connected to the electrical grid.
• The generator needs to have a
cooling system to make sure there
is no overheating.
SMALL GENERATORS:
 Require less force to turn than a larger ones, but give much lower
power output.
 Less efficient
i.e.. If you fit a large wind turbine rotor with a small generator it
will be producing electricity during many hours of the year, but it
will capture only a small part of the energy content of the wind at
high wind speeds.

LARGE GENERATORS:
 Very efficient at high wind speeds, but unable to turn at low wind
speeds.
i.e.. If the generator has larger coils, and/or a stronger internal
magnet, it will require more force (mechanical) to start in motion.
 A typical 600 kW turbine costs about $450,000.
 Installation costs are typically $125,000.
 Therefore, the total costs will be about $575,000.

 The average price for large, modern wind farms is

around $1,000 per kilowatt electrical power installed.

 Modern wind turbines are designed to work for some

120,000 hours of operation throughout their design
lifetime of 20 years. ( 13.7 years non-stop)

Maintenance costs are about 1.5-2.0 percent of the

original cost, per year.
Advantages of Wind Power

• The wind blows day and night, which allows windmills to

produce electricity throughout the day. (Faster during the day)
• Energy output from a wind turbine will vary as the wind varies,
although the most rapid variations will to some extent be
compensated for by the inertia of the wind turbine rotor.
• Wind energy is a domestic, renewable source of energy that
generates no pollution and has little environmental impact. Up to
95 percent of land used for wind farms can also be used for other
profitable activities including ranching, farming and forestry.
• The decreasing cost of wind power and the growing interest in
renewable energy sources should ensure that wind power will
become a viable energy source in the United States and worldwide.
 Wind Turbines and the Landscape
- Large turbines don’t turn as fast  attract less attention
- City dwellers “dwell” on the attention attracted by windmills
 Sound from Wind Turbines
- Increasing tip speed  less sound
- The closest neighbor is usually 300 m  experiences almost no noise
 Birds often collide with high voltage overhead lines, masts, poles, and
windows of buildings. They are also killed by cars in traffic. However,
birds are seldom bothered by wind turbines.
 The only known site with bird collision problems is located in the
Altamont Pass in California.
 Danish Ministry of the Environment study revealed that power lines are
a much greater danger to birds than the wind turbines.
 Some birds even nest on cages on Wind Towers.
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=rI7GRfhcQbk&t=16s
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