Can America’s Energy Can America’s Energy Problems be Gone with Problems be Gone with

the Wind?the Wind?

By:By: Erin Wright and Mary Beth Erin Wright and Mary Beth McLeanMcLean

History of WindHistory of Wind

Wind has been a part of history from the beginning.

The early shipbuilding civilizations relied on the power of wind to propel their ships through the water.

The Dutch built some of the first wind mills in order to mill grain and corn.

Since the 1970s, the United States has been harnessing kinetic energy from the wind and turning it into electricity.

What is a Wind What is a Wind Farm?Farm?

Wind TurbineWind Turbine: energy producing : energy producing windmill-like structure that windmill-like structure that converts converts mechanical mechanical energy, energy, produced by the spinning rotar produced by the spinning rotar blades, into blades, into electric electric energy.energy. Wind farmWind farm: Many inter-connected : Many inter-connected wind turbines that combine energy wind turbines that combine energy through a grid-connected system.through a grid-connected system.

Different Locations of Wind Different Locations of Wind FarmsFarms

Three types of Wind Turbines based on location : off-shore, near-shore, and onshore turbines.

Different Turbine Different Turbine DesignsDesigns

There are many different ways to build a wind- power creating unit, including designs such as:

                           

Darrieus wind turbine • The Giromill • Savonius wind turbine • Darrieus wind turbine • The Giromill • Savonius wind turbine • Windstar turbinesWindstar turbines

Horizontal axis Wind Horizontal axis Wind TurbineTurbine

But the most common is the horizontal wind turbine, which seems to work the most reliably and efficiently for a variety of different situations.

Typically involves three rotar blades spinning on a horizontal axis connecter to a long tower through which the power cables run down.

Horizontal Wind TurbinesHorizontal Wind Turbines

-The movement of the -The movement of the wind over the wind over the aerodynamically shaped aerodynamically shaped blades makes them blades makes them rotate around a rotate around a horizontal hub. -This is horizontal hub. -This is connected to a shaft connected to a shaft inside the nacelle, where inside the nacelle, where the generator and the generator and gearbox are found. gearbox are found. -The gearbox is a system -The gearbox is a system of gears that transmits of gears that transmits the mechanical power the mechanical power from the blades to the from the blades to the generator.generator.-The generator converts -The generator converts the rotating mechanical the rotating mechanical energy into electricity.energy into electricity.

Horizontal Wind Turbines Horizontal Wind Turbines (cont.)(cont.)

-The power cables then -The power cables then carry the electrical power carry the electrical power to a transformer which to a transformer which converts the electricity to converts the electricity to a high voltage before a high voltage before running it back to connect running it back to connect to the grid at a substation. to the grid at a substation. -By connecting hundreds -By connecting hundreds of wind turbines of wind turbines throughout a land (or throughout a land (or water) region, you are water) region, you are always guaranteed shared always guaranteed shared power even if the wind is power even if the wind is not blowing in a particular not blowing in a particular area on the grid region.area on the grid region.

gearbox- gearbox- A system of gears A system of gears that transmits the mechanical that transmits the mechanical power from the blades to the power from the blades to the generator.generator. Generator-Generator-A machine that A machine that converts mechanical energy converts mechanical energy into electricity. into electricity.

NacelleNacelle-The housing for the -The housing for the generator and gearbox.generator and gearbox.

Yaw MechanismYaw Mechanism- measures - measures how much the rotors are how much the rotors are spinning off axis due to wind spinning off axis due to wind stress and works to keeps the stress and works to keeps the blades in the direction of the blades in the direction of the wind wherever that may be.wind wherever that may be.

Horizontal Horizontal Wind Wind TurbinesTurbines

Wind Farm FactsWind Farm Factso The total height of the EcoEnergy wind turbine from the ground to the tip of a blade is 397 feet. o The rotar blades measure 131 feet long.o Only 1% of America’s electricity comes from wind power.o Each of EcoEnergy Wind ’s 1.5 megawatt wind turbines produces an average of 4 million kilowatt hours of energy each year, releasing no C02 emissions. A typical power plant burning fossil fuel to produce the same amount of energy releases 6.84 million pounds of pollutants into the air.

Information from www. ecoenergyllc.com, official EcoEnergy wind farm website

How Much Energy does How Much Energy does a Wind Turbine Create?a Wind Turbine Create?

Different turbine designs generate different amounts of power. Individual turbines, even of the same design, will differ in the

amount of energy that they produce. EcoEnergy’s turbines create approximately 1.5 megawatts (MW)

of power each. The average American household uses about 10,655 kilowatt-

hours (kWh) of electricity each year. One MW of wind energy can generate from 2.4 to more than 3

million kWh each year, so each one of EcoEnergy’s turbines can generate enough electricity to power 337 - 422 homes each year.

Information from www. ecoenergyllc.com, official EcoEnergy wind farm website

The first wind farms featured turbines

with blades that were forced to rotate at a rapid rate to produce minimal efficiency. As a result, some people believed that birds and bats were killed by the rapidly rotating blades.

Now, wind turbines feature larger blades that rotate at a slower rate.

The National Audubon Society now endorses wind technology.

New wind turbine technology has also allowed for more efficient turbines in areas where the wind doesn’t blow extremely rapidly.

New generators have also allowed for more “grid friendly” wind farms. This has been achieved through low voltage grid ride thru technology (LVRT).

Advances in Wind Farm TechnologyAdvances in Wind Farm Technology

Wind Farm Wind Farm AdvantagesAdvantages

The advantages of wind power include: Free fuel source Environmentally benign No harmful emissions of greenhouse gases or other

chemicals Safe for the surrounding environment Wind is the fastest growing form of alternative

energy in the United States in terms of overall market penetration.

Wind is one of the most cost-efficient large scale renewable energy sources.

Wind energy does not deplete any non-renewable natural resources.

Wind Farm Advantages Wind Farm Advantages (cont.)(cont.)

In 2000, the Harvard School of Public Health looked at the human health effects from two fossil-fuel-fired power plants in Massachusetts. It estimates that the air pollution from the plants each year causes:-159 premature deaths -1,710 emergency room visits -43,300 asthma attacks

The creation of alternative energy sources contributes to lessening the harmful effects of fossils fuels.

CO2, the gas oftentimes associated with global warming, is not produced by wind energy.

Wind Farm DisadvantagesWind Farm Disadvantages

Wind power disadvantages include:•wind farms take up land space•need a lot of funding to make, even if they will pay off later•some people believe they take away from the beauty of the landscape•concern for birds and the turbine blades, but recent improvements made sure that blades move slow enough that they so not pose a real threat to wildlife.•When interconnecting grids across large expanse of land are not utilized, wind energy becomes very unpredictable and inefficient. However, when wind farms are connected, the wind output becomes more mathematically predictable.

Important Factors in Important Factors in constructing a successful constructing a successful

wind farm:wind farm: A strong wind resource An area with physical and topographical

advantages (Elevation, etc.)

o An area that is interconnected to a grid

o These factors narrow possible wind farm locations in the Midwest to pockets where successful wind farms can be created.

Wind Farms in our Wind Farms in our AreaArea

Stephenson County, IL

100 MW 25000 homes $200 million 9 months 200 jobs (6-10

permanent) $11 million in taxes No burden to local

infrastructure

Financial Financial ImplicationsImplications

Economically Competitive

Production Tax Credit

Boom and Bust Cycle

Legislation

United States vs. United States vs. EuropeEurope

USA:-Legislation-Willingness-Oil Prices-Energy Crisis-Predictions for

the future: 2030

Europe:-Offshore Technology-10 years ahead of

the United States-Leading European

countries-Predictions for the

future

Current Wind Energy Current Wind Energy StatisticsStatistics

The United States can currently generate more than 10,000 MW of electricity of the wind, which is enough to power 2.5 million average American homes.

California the state in which the most wind power development has occurred. In 2004, California possessed 2096 MW of wind generating capacity.

One MW of wind energy is capable of supplying energy to 240-300 average American homes.

Wind Energy StatisticsWind Energy Statistics

Wind plant typically cost approximately $1000 per kilowatt of installed capacity.

In total, the installed 6,740 MW of wind energy (as of January 2005) account for nearly $7 billion in investments in the US wind market.

The current power capacity of the Illinois wind market is 735.66MW. Technology capable of producing an additional 171MW is currently being constructed in various locations throughout the state.

World Leaders in Wind World Leaders in Wind CapacityCapacity

World Leaders in Wind CapacityDecember 2004

  Country Capacity (MW)

  Germany 16,629

  Spain 8,263

 United States 6,740

  Denmark 3,117

  India 3,000

  Italy 1,125

  Netherlands 1,078

  United Kingdom 888

  Japan 874

  China 764

America’s Energy CrisisAmerica’s Energy Crisis

In 1999, the United States consumed 95 quadrillion BTUs of energy, while only producing 61 quadrillion BTUs. = 34 quadrillion BTU energy deficit.

We use more energy than we produce domestically.

Along with dependence on expensive imported energy, the need to transport energy over large distances contributes to the shortage and cost of American energy.

Our economy is threatened because all aspects of it are dependent on a steady supply of affordable energy, which we can no longer depend on.

America’s Energy CrisisAmerica’s Energy Crisis

Economic growth and increased energy demand are closely linked to increased emissions of CO2.

The recent "energy takeoff" of developing economies such as China and India is placing pressure on a global oil supply already struggling to meet demand.

We are not only paying billions annually to foreign governments for our economy's energy supply, but we are also investing in their energy production instead of our own, which weakens our economic capability and security.

America’s Energy CrisisAmerica’s Energy Crisis

America’s Energy CrisisAmerica’s Energy Crisis

Imported Crude Oil as a Imported Crude Oil as a Percent of US Consumption Percent of US Consumption 1950-2003 1950-2003

World Energy World Energy Consumption:Consumption:

PowerPoint Sources/ PowerPoint Sources/ For More Information… For More Information…

www.awea.org (American Wind Energy Association)

www.nrel.gov (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

www.ifnotwind.com www.econenergyllc.com (Source for

Stephenson County, IL and other Midwest wind farm projects)

United States Department of Energy

The EndThe End