Energy Blowing in the Wind

N. Keith Tovey, M.A., Phd. CEng, MICE

Acknowledgement: Dr Jean Palutikof for use of some of her slides

Hard Choices Ahead

Thorpe St Andrews Rotary Club

8th August 2003

Early Wind Power Devices

C 700 AD in Persia

•used for grinding corn

•pumping water

•evidence suggests that dry valleys were “Dammed” to harvest wind

Traditional Windmills

American Homestead

Windmill for pumping water

Traditional English Windmill

Spanish Windmills

Note 7 in a cluster of 11

Development of Modern Turbines

1.25 MW Turbine in Vermont (1941) Gedser Wind Turbine, Denmark (1957)

Vertical Axis Machines

Musgrove Rotor

Carmarthen Bay 1985 - 1994

Darrieus Rotor - machines up to 4 MW have been built.

Other Wind Machines

Savonius Rotors - good for pumping water - 3rd World applicationsModern Multi-bladed water pumping HAWT.

What’s a modern wind turbine look like?

Based on slide by Dr J. Palutikof

The Ecotech Turbine avoids having a high speed gear box in the nacelle

Ecotech wind turbine

• Electricity per annum 3.9 GWh

• Annual homes equivalent ~1000

Displacement pa:

• CO2 3000 tonnes

• SO2 39 tonnes

• NOx 3 tonnes

67m

66m

Dr J. Palutikof

Options for Electricity Generation in 2020

- Non-Renewable Methods

potential contribution to

Electricity Supply costs in 2020

Gas CCGT0 - 80% (currently 40% and rising)

available now, but UK gas will run out within current decade

~ 2p +

nuclear fission (long term)

0 - 60% (France 80%) - (currently 20 - 25% and falling)

new inherently safe designs - some practical development needed

2.5 - 3.5p

nuclear fusion

unavailablenot available until 2040 at earliest

"Clean Coal"

Traditional Coal falling rapidly -

coal could supply 40 - 50% by 2020

Basic components available - not viable without Carbon Sequestration

2.5 - 3.5p

Options for Electricity Generation in 2020 - RenewableUltimate potential contribution to UK Electricity Supply after 2050

Projected costs in

2020

On shore Wind ~25%Available for exploitation now and cost effective

~ 2p

Off Shore Wind 25-50%

Technical developments needed- research to reduce costs - only 100 turbines in EU compared to 20 000 on shore.

3 - 5 p

Hydro 5%Technically mature but limited potential

2.5 - 3p

Photovoltaic 50%Available but much research needed to bring down costs

greater than 10p

Energy Crops/ Biomass

? 25%Available - research needed in some area - competition with crops for petrol/diesel substitutes

2.5 - 4 p

Wave/ Tidal Stream

~100%Technology limited - extensive development unlike before 2015 - 2020

4 - 8p

Tidal Barrages ~10%Technology available, costly, major environmental problems, unavailable before 2015 - 2020

not costed in Energy

Review

Geothermalunlikely for electricity generation before 2040+

How are we going to meet these demands for electricity in the future? The Energy Review indicates 10% by renewables by 2010 and 20% by 2020.

“In order to get more than 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010 and 20% by 2020, build rates for the leading options would need to be at levels never before seen in the UK. Onshore and offshore wind would need to be installed at a rate of between 1-2 GW per year “(i.e. 1000 - 1500 turbines the size of Swaffham every year).

“However, 1.5 GW and 1.6 GW of onshore wind was built in Germany in 1999 and 2000 respectively, and a further 1.2 GW was installed in 2001. Build rates of 1 GW per year were also seen Spain in 2000, and 600MW in Denmark in the same year.”

Turbine Numbers (Swaffham equivalents)

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Wind Energy in Europe

Currently 13,000 MW from wind energy

Overall EU target of 12% of energy (22% electricity) from renewables by 2010 - UK 10%

Onshore Offshore

(MW) (MW)

2010 60000 5000

2020 150000 50000

Wind Map of Western Europe: wind resource at 50m above surface

Sheltered Open Coast Open sea Hills

Dr J. Palutikof

•Distraction to drivers•Danger to birds•Radio/Television/Radar Interference•Noise - mechanical, aerodynamic, …..infra-sound?•Flickering

- only relevant within buildings and then only in a precise orientation at selected times of the year.

•Danger of ice throw

- not really a problem as other constraints will mean that a sufficient exclusion zone is present anyway

•Blade failure

•Aesthetics -

Key Environmental Issues - some of main issues against

Ice can form

Planning Regulations Denmark

Noise

How many blades?

Visual intrusionSome designs look better than others

Offshore wind energy - A solution?

BUT

Wind speeds are high

Resource is enormous

Visual intrusion is less than for onshore

•It’s expensive•Maintenance is problematic

Examples of Offshore Wind

Future Global Warming Rates

Government Response• Energy White Paper – aspiration for 60% cut in CO2

emissions by 2050

• Will require unprecedented partnership activity in local communities to ensure on track by 2020s (– but no indication of how this will be undertaken)

“There will be much more local generation, in part from medium to small local/community power plant, fuelled by locally grown biomass, from locally generated waste, and from local wind sources. These will feed local distributed networks, which can sell excess capacity into the grid.’’

- Energy White Paper: February 2003

The right language?

5 hot air balloons full of CO2 per person per year

(4 million per year over Norfolk)

Our Choices: They are difficultDo we want to exploit available renewables i.e onshore/offshore wind and biomass.

If our answer is NO

Do we want to see a renewal of nuclear power

• Are we happy on this and the other attendant risks?

If our answer is NO

Do we want to return to using coal? • then carbon dioxide emissions will rise significantly• unless we can develop carbon sequestration within 10 years

which is unlikelyIf our answer to coal is NO

Do we want to leave things are they are and see continued exploitation of gas for

both heating and electricity generation? >>>>>>

Our Choices: They are difficult

If our answer is YES

By 2020 we will be dependent on around 70% of our heating and electricity from GAS which will have to be imported from countries like Russia, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Algeria

Are we happy with this prospect? >>>>>>If not:

We need even more substantial cuts in energy use which could affect both industry and our ability to heat an light our homes in the future.

Unless we are prepared to sacrifice our future to effects of Global Warming

Do we wish to reconsider our stance on renewables?

Inaction or delays in decision making will lead us down the GAS option route and all the attendant Security issues that raises.

WEBSITE

www.cred-uk.org/