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Sailboats - 4000 BCE Windmills - 900 CE Wind Turbines - 2000 CE
"Wind Turbines are Beautiful!"
-Dr. Mike Hannigan
A Brief History of Wind Energy Systems
Wind energy is one of the oldest forms of energy ever harnessed by mankind. It has been used for centuries to propel ships across oceans, to grind grains for food, to pump water from wells, and most recently to generate electricity. Here is an introduction to this latest application of wind technology and the growing industry around it.
Basic Components of a Modern Wind Turbine
As is evident from the above picture, the modern wind turbine has evolved far beyond the simplicity of early designs. At its most basic, wind (kinetic energy) strikes a turbine's blades (#1) which generate lift (thus causing them to to turn) and extract power from the wind. In more complex systems, a gear box (#6) conditions this rotating kinetic energy to enter a generator at a specified frequency. The generator (#7) converts the generator's mechanical energy into electrical energy. A yaw drive (#13,#14) orients the turbine into the wind in order to maximize the the performance of the machine. An important aspect of the modern design is the pitch control (#3). This sets the blades in a position for ideal lift depending on wind speed, and will turn the blades to generate zero lift if the wind gets too strong and that could lead to damaging the machine. Large turbines are often grouped together to form a wind farm (or wind power plant), which feeds power to the electrical grid.
Current Market Penetration
In the United States, wind energy is presently one of the the smaller renewable energy systems implemented today, making up 9% of the renewable energy currently in use. However, it is the fastest growing renewable energy system and has experienced a serious acceleration in growth and public interest over the past few years both in the US and worldwide. As of 2006, the United States has installed 11,603 MW of wind capacity.
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US Energy Consumption
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World Energy Consumption
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Economics
The growth of the wind energy industry can be attributed to a number of factors including advances in rotor design, materials improvements, increases in size, successful pilot projects, increased public interest in renewable energy, and government incentives, to name a few. All of these factors have come together to result in perhaps the the most significant factor supporting the recent acceleration in development: Economic Viability. As evidenced by the figure below, the decreased cost of energy (COE) of wind energy can be directly correlated to the increased installed capacity. Only recently has the technology become competitive with other forms of electricity production. It should come as no surprise that this economic attractiveness has catapulted the industry forward.
Accompanying Pages:
The Wind Energy Resource
Wind Turbine Design
images above (in order):
old-picture.com
concierge.com
commercialwindturbines.com
http://www.evolvegreen.ca/basics.html
eia.doe.gov
windturbine-analysis.netfirms.com
Comments (2)
Brady Kappius said
at 3:26 pm on Oct 12, 2010
I might mention item 3 in your modern wind turbine diagram, the pitch control. This sets the blades in the position for ideal lift depending on wind speed. There are also electricity condition controls that are used before putting the electricity into the grid. Otherwise looking good!
Blake Langdon said
at 4:55 pm on Oct 22, 2010
This is great! As far as page design though, perhaps the accompanying pages near the beginning of the page and perhaps a brief description of these pages.
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