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Unit 11
Wind Power… it has a lot of fans
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Part 1 Outline
• What is wind? (Meteorology 101)
• Where is wind?
[Link]
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Marsala, Italy
La Mancha, Spain
(water pumping)
[Link]
Zaanse Schans, Netherlands
Wind energy has been used by humans as early as 5,000 B.C.
[Link]
Mykonos, Greece
[Link] [Link]
What is wind?
Wind is dependent upon 3 factors:
1. Temperature
• Cold air sinks, warm air floats
2. Solar energy [Link]
• The sun warms the Earth unevenly—some places
are warmer than others
3. Pressure
• Different temperatures cause different pressures
• When warm air rises, it leaves behind an area of
low pressure
• Gases move from high-pressure areas to low-
pressure areas
• DIFFUSION! [Link]
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Meteorology 101
Low Pressure High Pressure
[Link]
• High pressure systems (H) are usually cooler and drier than surrounding air. They usually means nice weather.
• Low pressure systems (L) are usually wetter and warmer than surrounding air. They usually mean clouds and storms.
The bigger the difference between high and low pressure systems,
the faster the will wind blow
Cool Air
Warm Air
Warm air increases atmospheric pressure
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• Warm air moves to replace cold air
Warm Fronts • Usually move SW to NE
• Initially bring rain, followed by blue skies and warm temps
[Link]
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• Cold air moves to replace warm air
• Usually move NW to SE
Cold Fronts • Bring cold temps, torrential rain, and high winds
[Link]
• Cold air moves faster than warm air
Occluded Front • Cold fronts can catch up to warm front
• Bring dry air
[Link]
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• Cold and warm air converge
Stationary Front • Long-duration, stationary rain storms
[Link]
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Where is wind?
Earth’ s rotation creates distinct
wind patterns (Coriolis Effect)
• North of 0°, wind is deflected
to the right of its intended
path; large storms rotate
counterclockwise
• South of 0°, wind is deflected
to the left of its intended path;
large storms rotate clockwise
[Link] [Link]/sage/oceanography/lesson3/im ages/GlobalW [Link]
NOTE: The Coriolis Effect does not impact small-scale objects
like tornados or direction water goes down the drain
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Three low pressure systems in line over North America
Where is wind? NOAA GOES-13 and GOES-15 Satellite image, March 31, 2014
[Link]
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Bored? Look at a Wind Map!
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
[Link]
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Part 2 Outline
• Timeline of wind energy
• How is wind energy produced?
• What are the types of wind
turbines?
[Link]
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Timeline of Wind Energy
Key point:
Wind turbines are
becoming more
efficient
[Link]
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Timeline of Wind
Energy
No pressure, but…
For the world to reach carbon
neutrality by 2050, we need to
add 390 GW of wind power (80
GW of which is offshore wind)
between 2030 and 2050
(source: [Link])
[Link]
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What is a turbine?
[Link]
[Link]
Turbines convert kinetic energy into mechanical power
Wind rotates a turbine to power an electric generator that supplies an electric current
Betz’ limit: no turbine can capture more than 59.3% of the wind’s kinetic energy
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Two Types of Wind Turbines
Horizontal Axis: Most common turbine type, used in large scale
electricity generation
• Pros: Produces more electricity from a given amount of wind
• Cons: Not effective in turbulent winds
Vertical Axis: Typically used for smaller-scale electricity generation
• Pros: Powered by wind from all directions
Effective in all wind conditions
Can be placed at lower heights
• Cons: Produce a lower amount of electricity
An average wind turbine captures 30-40% of the kinetic energy of the
wind
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[Link]
[Link] /m edia/2/I08083220/004170,[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
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[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Vertical Axis
[Link]
Turbines
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[Link]
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Offshore wind
• Strong, consistent winds blow across the surface of the ocean
• 53% of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas (source: Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management BOEM)
• Estimates of gross wind power resources are 4,223 GW off the U.S. coast
(source: NREL)
• That is 4 times the current generating capacity of the U.S. electrical grid!
• 1 GW of wind power will supply between 225k- 300k U.S. homes per year
• Pacific winds more powerful than Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
• Close to 80% of potential offshore wind power is restricted to deep water
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Block Island, Rhode Island: 1st Offshore Wind Farm
in the U.S.
• 30 MW capacity
• 5 Turbines
• Operating since Dec.
2016
• Wind turbines
automatically cut out
when wind speeds
[Link]
[Link]?itok=XcEIlIM_
exceed 55 mph
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Does this look
familiar?
[Link]
[Link]
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Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Wind Powering America
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Commercial offshore wind
• First installed off the coast of Denmark in 1991
• Similar in design to onshore wind farms, but arrangement and
structural modifications account for hurricane-force winds, storm
waves, and ice flows
• Floating turbine platforms follow similar design specs as deep
offshore oil platforms
• They’re BIG! Maximum height is 500 ft from base to tip of blade,
rotor diameters can reach 430 ft.
• Typical generation capacity is between 2 MW and 6 MW per turbine
• Coal = ~185 MW, up to 1,958 MW (source [Link])
• Nuclear = 479MW to 3,937 MW (source [Link])
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The Future is Now: Floating Wind Farms
• 30 MW installation 15 miles offshore
of Aberdeenshire, Scotland
• 5 wind turbines supply power to
~20,000 households
• Installed 2017 by Norwegian company
Equinor, turbines are tethered to
seabed by mooring lines
• No disruption to fisheries and no
NIMBY reactions = Wind WIN
Scotland
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Wait…how does offshore wind energy reach
the grid?
• Each turbine is connected an electric service platform (ESP) by a power
cable
• ESP’s are located within the offshore turbine array and act as a
substation
• High voltage cables transport electricity from the ESP to an onshore
substation, where power is integrated into the grid
• Similar system onshore—substations located
within array collect and transmit energy to the
grid
[Link]
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Part 3 Outline
• Energy Comparisons
• Where is wind energy currently
produced?
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[Link]
Measurement of the
reliability of energy
sources
With current installed capacity, wind energy produces maximum
power 35% of the year
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[Link]
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[Link]
[Link]
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[Link]
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Utility-scale generating units
planned to come online from
September 2016-August 2017
[Link]
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Top Wind Energy Producers by State
• Texas: installed capacity 28,843 MW
• Iowa: installed capacity 10,190 MW
• Oklahoma: installed capacity 8,172 MW
• Kansas: installed capacity 6,128 MW
• California: installed capacity 5,973 MW
[Link]
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[Link]
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[Link]
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[Link]
Alpha_Ventus_Windmills.JPG
Alpha Ventus Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea
[Link]
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Part 4 Outline
• International Wind Power
• Wind power advantages
• Wind power disadvantages
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International Wind Producers
Percentage shares of world wind Wind Energy International, 2020
electricity generation, 2019:
• China: 29%
• U.S.: 21%
• Germany: 9%
• India: 5%
• United Kingdom: 5%
(source: [Link])
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Wind Power Advantages
1. Cost-effective: 1-2 cents per kWh
2. Job creation: U.S. wind sector currently
employs ~100,000 workers
• Wind turbine technician is one of the fastest growing
jobs (see ‘This is what it’s like to climb and service
wind turbines for a living’ video
• 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation,
maintenance, and supporting services by 2050
3. Domestic energy source + economic boost
4. Clean and sustainable fuel source
5. Can be built on farms or ranches—benefits
economy in rural areas
source ([Link])
Like rock climbing? Maybe this job is for you
[Link]
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Wind Power Advantages
6. Can be harnessed day or night,
and in cloudy regions
7. Wind farms can generate massive
amounts of power
8. Can be built offshore
9. Produce more energy than solar
panels
10. Less polluting than non- [Link]
renewables (and solar panels!)
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Wind Power Disadvantages
• Location-dependent
• Near existing
transmission lines
• Short distance from
power users
• Noise and aesthetic
pollution (NIMBY)
• Wildlife impacts
• Cost. Offshore
turbines, currently
cost 2x onshore
turbines [Link]
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[Link]
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Wildlife Collisions (Risks to Bats and Birds)
A GPS-wearing falcon gathers data to improve bird detection at a • Migrating birds and bats may
wind facility
collide with wind turbines
• Mitigation involves decreasing
the speed of rotation, shutting
down turbines during active
migrations, and ultrasonic
acoustic deterrents
[Link]
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Top Threats to Birds in the U.S.
[Link]
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Supply issues: • Intermittency of wind
• Can be solved through use of batteries
• Remote nature of prospective wind farms
Seasonal patterns
vary across the U.S.
source: [Link]
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Part 5 Outline
• What is the future of wind?
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[Link] /wind-power/wind-power-experts-expect-wind-energy-costs-to-decline-up-to-35-by-2035/#gref
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What’s Next in the U.S.?
• U.S. Department of Energy has invested >$100m to
fund floating offshore turbine research and
development
• In 2021, President Biden pledged to add 30GW of
offshore wind by 2030
• Approval: 84-turbine, 800MW Vineyard Wind off coast
of Martha’s Vineyard (power for 400,000 homes and
businesses)
Turbines off Block Island, R.I.
• Proposal Phase: Two offshore sites in California, areas
north of Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay, which could
generate up to 4.6GW (electricity for 1.6 million
homes)
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Global Future of Wind Energy?
New floating
offshore wind
projects in Norway,
Portugal, South
Korea, and Japan (+
26GW of capacity)
[Link]
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Recent and Forecasted Wind Capacity
• 1990: 3.6 billion kWh generated by 16
countries
• 2010: 340 billion kWh generated by 105
countries
• 2019: 1,419 billion kWh generated by
127 countries
(source: [Link])
• 2050: 6,044 GW, meeting 1/3 of world
energy needs
(source: [Link])
• How?
The Vortex bladeless turbine is a new design…
more on this later
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Wind Energy Research and Development
• Dec. 2020: Department of Energy announced $21 million towards
three new offshore wind projects
• Floating offshore wind platform to support 10+ MW turbine (Mayflower
Wind, Atlantic Ocean)
• R&D for synthetic rope mooring for floating offshore wind turbines (New
England Aqua Ventus project ≤ 12 MW, Atlantic Ocean)
• High resolution offshore wind resource data to Improve atmosphere–ocean
simulation tools and forecasting
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Credit: UC Berkeley Lab
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Maybe the Answer is Vortex Bladeless Turbines?
• Advantages—40% less expensive than
conventional turbines
• Capture constant energy of aeroelastic
flutter to generate electricity
• Less efficient than horizontal and vertical
turbines, but you can pack more in!
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Wind Power resources:
•
[Link]
hore-wind-research-and-
development
•
[Link]
ics/
• [Link]
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[Link]
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