WIND ENERGY

NAME: JEKILYAH GIBSON FORM: IY CLASS: GENERAL SCIENCE TEACHER: MS. PILGRIM

INTRODUCTION
This project is about wind energy. Wind energy is very useful indeed and Im sure youll learn plenty from this project. I also hope to learn a lot myself. I hope you enjoy reading this project on wind energy as it is sure to be accurate and informative. Enjoy!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page nos. 1. What is Wind Energy? 2. History of Wind Energy 3. Where is it found? 4. How does it work? 5. Is it commonly used? 6. Types of Wind Turbines 7. Advantages and Disadvantages 8. Comparisons 9. Conclusion 10.Bibliography 3 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13 14

CONCLUSION
I hope youve learnt many new interesting facts about wind energy. I learnt quite a bit and I really enjoyed doing this project. Wind energy is very useful and I think it should be put to use in Trinidad and Tobago.

WHAT IS WIND ENERGY?

As a gentle breeze or a powerful hurricane, wind blows constantly around the world. Winds can be defined as belts of moving air that flow from one area to another, driven by the Suns heat. Warm air is lighter than cold air so warm air rises as it is heated by the sun and cold air flows to take its place. This sets up a circular current of air which produces winds. Light, warm air exerts less pressure on the earth than cold air creating an area of low pressure towards which cold air flows. Similarly, cold air sinks and produces an area of high pressure into which warm air flows. The greater the distance in pressure between two areas, the stronger the winds. Energy can be defined as the ability or capacity to do work and the power obtained from fuel and other resources, used for light and heat. Wind energy is when modern windmills or wind turbines use the wind to turn the long arms on them to drive generators which produce electricity.

HISTORY OF WIND ENERGY

The earliest ships used wind power to carry them across the sea and architects have used wind driven ventilation in ancient times. The use of wind to provide mechanical power came later. The Babylonian emperor, Hammurabi planned to use wind power for irrigation projects in the 17th century BC. The ancient Sinhalese people used the monsoon winds to power furnaces as early as 300 BC. Windmills were used in Iran as long ago as the 7th century for raising water from rivers and later for grinding corn. Windmills were then used to grind flour across Northwestern Europe, starting in the 1180s. In the United States, water pumping windmills allowed the farming and ranching of vast areas in North America which had no readily accessible water. The first modern wind turbines were built in the early 1980s.

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WHERE IS IT FOUND?
Wind farms are usually put where there are high winds. Availability of transmission lines, value of energy to be produced, cost of land acquisition, land use considerations and environmental impact on construction and operations must also be taken into consideration. Onshore wind farms can be found in Denmark, Spain, Portugal, United States, Romania, India, Germany and Ireland. From May 2009, eighty countries around the world will be using wind energy.

Offshore wind farms are found in Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Ireland and in the United Kingdom, which is the world leader in offshore wind energy.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A wind turbine uses the wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft. The shaft is connected to a generator. The generator converts mechanical energy to electricity. The cable, which is in the tower, carries the electricity to a transmission line which carries it to towns, cities, homes, etc.

Anemometer it measures the speed of the wind and transmits the data to the controller. Blades the wind, blowing over the blades causes them to rotate. Brake it stops the rotor in emergencies. Controller starts the machine at about 8-16 mph and shuts off the machine at 55 mph because if the turbine spins faster than that, it will be damaged. Gear Box gears connect the low speed shaft to the high speed shaft and increase the rotational speeds. Generator it produces the electricity. High-Speed Shaft it drives the generator.

 Low-Speed Shaft it is turned by the rotor at 30-60 rotations per minute. Nacelle it sits on the tower and contains the gear box, speed shafts, generator, brakes and controller. Pitch blades are pitched out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the rotor from turning in too high or low winds. Rotor the blades and the hub are the rotor. Tower made from tubular steel, concrete or steel lattice. The taller the tower is, the more electricity the turbine can make as the wind speed increases with height. Wind Direction the direction the rotor is facing. Wind Vane measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to turn the rotor in the direction of the wind. Yaw Drive it keeps the rotor facing the wind as the direction changes. Yaw Motor it powers the yaw drive. Cable located inside the tower, it take the electricity to transmission lines.

IS IT COMMONLY USED?
Wind turbine production has expanded to many countries all over the world. It is commonly used because the wind itself costs nothing and does not pollute the air. It is environmentally friendly and a renewable energy source. Denmark nearly one-fifth of its electricity is generated with wind turbines. America nearly 1% of electricity is generated with wind turbines, which is about 4.5 million households. India 3% of its electricity is produced with wind energy. Mexico 13% of its electricity is produced by wind energy. France, Canada and China are experiencing rapid growth in the amounts of electricity that is produced by wind energy in their countries.

TYPES OF WIND TURBINES

Horizontal Axis:
Horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) have the rotor shaft and generator at the top of the tower and must be pointed into the wind. Most of them have a gearbox. The blades are made stiff to prevent them from being pushed into the tower by high winds. Also, the blades are placed a considerable distance from the tower and are sometimes tilted up a bit. HAWT Subtypes: 12th century windmills these structures have four blades with either wooden shutters or fabric sails and were developed in Europe. In the Netherlands, this type of windmill was made to generate electricity.

19th century windmills These had many blades, operated on tip speed ratios and had good starting rotation. It helped to power many farms with electricity and became a main source of farm power by the 1950s. Modern wind turbines These usually have three blades and are pointed into the wind by a by computer controlled motors. These have high speeds and efficiency as well as low rotation ripples. The

blades are coloured light gray and are very long and the tower is very

tall.

Vertical Axis:
Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have the main rotor shaft arranged vertically. Because of this, the turbine does not need to be pointed into the wind to be effective. The generator and gearbox can be placed near the ground so it is easily accessible and the tower doesnt need to support it.

VAWT Subtypes: Darrieus wind turbines Also known as eggbeater turbines, they are efficient but produce large rotation ripples and tire out the blade, axle and bearing. They also need an external power source to start it turning because the starting rotation is very low. Its blades are curved. Giromill - These turbines have straight blades, high starting rotation and efficient in rough winds.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES Causes no air pollution The wind itself costs nothing A renewable source of energy It consumes no fuel DISADVANTAGES Can be harmful to bats Takes up large areas of land Stops when the wind stops blowing Large and sometimes noisy

COMPARISONS
WIND ENERGY HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY Causes no Causes no Causes air Causes no air air pollution air pollution pollution pollution Renewable Renewable NonRenewable renewable Non-fixed Non-fixed Non-fixed Non-fixed supply supply supply supply rate rate rate rate Hurts Doesnt Hurts Hurts wildlife hurt wildlife wildlife wildlife Relatively Expensive Expensive Expensive cheap SOLAR ENERGY FOSSIL FUELS TIDAL ENERGY Causes no air pollution Renewable Fixed supply rate Doesnt hurt wildlife Relatively cheap NUCLEAR ENERGY GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Causes no Causes air air pollution pollution Renewable Renewable Fixed supply rate Hurts wildlife Expensive Fixed supply rate Doesnt hurt wildlife Relatively cheap

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kramer, Ann and Miranda Kennedy. The Dorling Kindersley Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia. Great Britain. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1991. Allen, Robert and Andrew Delahunty. Oxford Students Dictionary. Great Britain. Oxford University Press, 2002. Websters Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus. Scotland. Geddes and Grosset Limited, 2002. Wikipedia.com