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Power Generation Wind Power. Wind Power. Wind turbine power has been around since 500 BC when the Persians used them for grain-grinding and water pumps. Throughout history the design and efficiency of wind mills and wind turbines has gradually been getting better.
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Wind Power • Wind turbine power has been around since 500 BC when the Persians used them for grain-grinding and water pumps. • Throughout history the design and efficiency of wind mills and wind turbines has gradually been getting better. • Believe it or not wind power is actually a form of solar power.
Wind Power • Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and rotation of the earth. Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth's terrain, bodies of water, and vegetation. • The terms wind energy or wind power describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power.
Wind Turbine System • Lets look at the basic components that would make up a typical wind turbine system that we could use to power a remote location such as a cabin. • We will begin with the actual wind turbine;
1) Turbine • Home wind turbines consist of rotor, a generator mounted on a frame, and (usually) a tail • Through the spinning blades, the rotor captures the kinetic energy of the wind and converts it into rotary motion to drive the generator
1) Turbine • To begin designing a system we need to know how much your energy requirements will be; • A 1.5-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine will meet the needs of a home requiring 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month, for a location with a 6.26-meters-per-second (14-mile-per-hour) annual average wind speed.
2) Tower • The second component of your system will have to be tower. The consistent wind speeds needed for a turbine can only be found higher up. • Generally speaking the higher you go the better it is. For example to raise an 10kW turbine from 60’ to 100’ will increase the overall cost of the project by approximately 10% but will increase power production by 25%.
2) Tower • The two basic types of towers are free standing (self supporting) or guyed. • Generally the guyed type require a large are to actually anchor the guys and as such are not that common in smaller set ups such as we are considering.
3) Power Inverter • Wind turbines generate Direct Current (DC) and most home appliances require Alternating Current (AC). For this reason your system will require a power inverter to convert your DC to a usable AC. • It should be noted that DC appliances can be purchased but much more expensive than using an inverter.
4) Storage Device • The fourth component of the system is a method to store generated power. The wind will not always be consistent and as such we have to store excess power generated for use when winds are calm. • This is done using a deep cycle battery.
4) Storage Device • Deep-cycle batteries, such as those used to power golf carts, can discharge and recharge 80% of their capacity hundreds of times, which makes them a good option for remote renewable energy systems. Automotive batteries are shallow-cycle batteries and should not be used in renewable energy systems because of their short life in deep cycling operations.
5) Charge Controller • The final component is a charge controller. • A charge controller will keep your deep cycle batteries from becoming overcharged. • References; http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_technologies.html
