Chapter 8

Wind Energy

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 Introduction-History
• The power of the wind has been used throughout
human history, to power sailboats, to mill grain, and
to pump water. The steel-bladed water pumper was
the workhorse of the American farm until the
country’s electricity infrastructure was built in the
twentieth century. Inventors first used wind power
to create electricity late in the nineteenth century.
Engineers have been refining the design ever since,
especially in the post-war period. Today’s wind
turbines are sophisticated machines that use state-of-
the-art technology to convert raw power from the
wind into electricity that can be contribute to the
country’s power needs. 2
 Introduction-The wind
 The wind is solar power in mechanical form.
 Wind energy is created by the uneven heating of the
earth by the sun;
 A small part (around 2 %) of the energy of solar
radiation on Earth is converted into kinetic energy of
flowing air – the wind.
 Wind’s velocity and direction depend on the imposed
pressure gradients, plus certain other forces, plus the
local geography. 3
 Wind Energy Conversion Systems
• The differential heating of the earth's surface by the
sun causes the movement of large air masses on the
surface of the earth, i.e., the wind.
• Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) are
systems which convert the kinetic energy of the wind
into electricity or other forms of energy.
• We will use the term “Wind Turbines” for WECS
that convert the kinetic energy into electric energy.
• The power generated from wind turbines depend
mainly on the speed of the wind.

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 Classification of Systems
1. Useful Output Type
a) Mechanical Output (Wind Mill)
b) Electrical Output (Wind Generators)
2. Orientation Type
a) Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT)
b) Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)
3. Number of Blades
a) Single Blade
b) Multi Blade
4. Number of Units
a) Single Unit
b) Multi Unit (Array or Farm)
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 Options in wind turbine design
The main options in wind turbine design and construction include
• number of blades (commonly two or three);
• rotor orientation: downwind or upwind of tower;
• blade material, construction method, and profile;
• hub design: rigid, teetering, or hinged;
• power control via aerodynamic control (stall control) or variable-
pitch blades (pitch control);
• fixed or variable rotor speed;
• orientation by self-aligning action (free yaw), or direct control
(active yaw);
• synchronous or induction generator (squirrel cage or doubly fed);
• gearbox or direct drive generator

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Classification of Systems-There are two main types of wind turbines based on
the axis of rotation.
i. VAWT (vertical axis wind turbine)
• The rotor axis is perpendicular to the air flow (usually vertical). The blades sweep a
cylindrical, conical or elliptical plane, perpendicular to the air flow and parallel to
the rotor axis.
 All main power train components (gearbox, generator, brakes and main bearing)
are placed on the ground, allowing for easy access for maintenance and lower
stress on the tower.
 Yaw mechanism for facing the wind is not needed – the turbine accepts wind from
any direction.
 The blades are easier to manufacture (symmetrical airfoils without any twist or
taper).
 All these features result in a simple machine, easily scalable to large dimensions, at
lower costs than a horizontal axis one.
 The main advantage of the VAWT is believed to be the easier geometrical
scalability to large dimensions.
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VAWTs

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 ii) HAWT (Horizontal axis wind turbine)
 The most common type of lift-force wind turbines is the
horizontal axis wind turbine - HAWT. The rotor axis lies
horizontally, parallel to the air flow. The blades sweep a circular
(or slightly conical) plane normal to the air flow, situated upwind
(in front of the tower) or downwind (behind the tower).
 The main advantage of HAWTs is the good aerodynamic
efficiency (if blades are properly designed) and versatility of
applications.
 Their main disadvantage is that the tower must support the rotor
and all gearing and electrical generator standing on top of it, plus
the necessity of yawing to face the wind.

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HAWT

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There are two types of HAWTs

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Classification of Systems-
Single and Multi Blade Types

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Classification of Systems- Output Power Ranges

Intermediate
Small (10 kW)
(10-250 kW)
• Homes
• Farms • Village Power
• Hybrid Systems
• Distributed Power

Large (250 kW - 2MW)

• Central Station Wind Farms
• Distributed Power

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Available Wind Energy and Wind Power
The kinetic energy of a unit mass of
flowing fluid is: v

So the power per unit mass flow would A

be:
Using the air density , the flow velocity , and the
area perpendicular to the flow, the mass flow
becomes: . dm dv dh
m   A  AV
dt dt dt

Then the total available power in the air flow is:

Power density = Pe= 1/2v3 14

 Power in the Wind 2
(W/m )
p= 0.5 x air density x swept rotor area x (wind speed)3
 A V3

Density = P/(RxT)
P - pressure (Pa)
R - specific gas constant (287 J/kg.K)
T - air temperature (K)
Area =  r2 Instantaneous Speed
(not mean speed)
kg/m3 m2 m/s
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 Available Wind Energy…
 The wind is a free-flowing fluid stream.
 The energy extraction device (of any type) is submersed into this
stream and can convert only a certain amount from the total available
energy in the fluid stream, not all of it!
 Energy conversion from free-flowing fluid streams is limited because
energy extraction implies decrease of fluid velocity (decrease of
kinetic energy of the stream), which cannot fall down to zero, the
stream should continue traveling and cannot stop entirely.
 Also, the turbine is an obstruction to the fluid flow. Some fluid may
not pass through the turbine and may simply flow around it (bypass
it)
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Theoretical Maximum Rotor Efficiency
(Betz Efficiency)

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Practical Rotor Efficiency

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Tip speed ratio

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Power in the wind – power output
characteristics

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 Ideal power output Curve
• The turbine is usually designed to reach full rated
power at wind velocities of around 12–15 m/s.
• It actually runs at part-load most of the time, as the
wind speeds are mostly below the nominal value.
• On the other hand, in stronger winds the turbine
must decrease its output to protect the generator
from overloading.
• The ideal and optimum power curve for a typical
wind turbine would look like this 26
The Wind Power Curve

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 Important Parameters …

Cut-In Speed
 The wind speed at which a wind turbine begins to produce power

Rated Speed
 The "rated wind speed" is the wind speed at which the "rated power"
is achieved and generally corresponds to the point at which the
conversion efficiency is near its maximum .
 In most cases, the power output above the rated wind speed is
maintained at a constant level.

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 Important Parameters …
Rated (Power) Output
 The power output at, or above, the rated speed.

Cut-Out Speed
 The cut-out speed is the wind speed at which the turbine may be
shut down to protect the rotor and drive train machinery from
damage, or high wind stalling characteristics;

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 Wind Energy Resource

If we measure wind speeds throughout a year, we will notice that in

most areas stronger force winds are rare, while moderate and fresh
winds are quite common.
The wind variation for a typical site is usually described using the so
called Weibull distribution, as shown in the image.
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 Wind Power Classes

Wind 10 m (33 ft) 50 m (164 ft)

Power Speed Speed
Class m/s (mph) m/s (mph)
0 0
1 4.4 (9.8) 5.6 (12.5)
2 5.1 (11.5) 6.4 (14.3)
3 5.6 (12.5) 7.0 (15.7)
4 6.0 (13.4) 7.5 (16.8)
5 6.4 (14.3) 8.0 (17.9)
6 7.0 (15.7) 8.8 (19.7)
7 9.4 (21.1) 11.9 (26.6)

Wind speed is for standard sea-level conditions. To maintain the same power density, speed increases 3%/1000 m (5%/5000
31
ft) elevation.
 Wind Characteristics
• Wind Speed
– Wind energy increases with the cube of the wind speed
– 10% increase in wind speed translates into 30% more
electricity
– 2X the wind speed translates into 8X the electricity

• Height
– Wind energy increases with height to the 1/7 power
– 2X the height translates into 10.4% more electricity

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 Wind Characteristics …
• Air density
– Wind energy increases proportionally with air density
– Humid climates have greater air density than dry climates
– Lower elevations have greater air density than higher
elevations

• Blade swept area

– Wind energy increases proportionally with swept area of the
blades
• Blades are shaped like airplane wings
– 10% increase in swept diameter translates into 21% greater
swept area
– Longest blades up to 413 feet in diameter
• Resulting in 600 foot total height 33
 Components of Wind Turbine
A wind turbine usually has the following components:

• Rotor consisting of the hub and blades of the turbine. Most

turbines have rotors with three blades and a few designs with
two blades.
• Nacelle that houses the main components of the wind
turbine, such as the controller, gearbox, generator, and shafts.
• Shafts including the low speed and high speed shafts
connected to the rotating components.
• Gear box to convert the low rotational speed of the rotor into
a higher speed for the electric generator.

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 Generator that converts the mechanical energy from the
wind turbine’s rotation into electrical energy.
 Yaw system responsible for the orientation of the wind
turbine rotor towards the wind.
 Mechanical brake used to hold the turbine at rest for
maintenance..
 Anemometer for measuring the wind speed.
 Tower usually made of tubular steel and is 60 to 100
meters high.
 Power electronic converter used to adjust the electrical
output of the wind turbine (must be used with grid
connected WECS).

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Rotor: Hub
• The hub allows connecting the blades to the low speed shaft. It
is normally made of iron and there are basically 3 types: rigid,
hinged and teetering.
• A rigid hub is typically used in three (or more) blade turbines.
Although it keeps a fixed blade position, pitch angle variation
is feasible.
• A hinged hub is mainly chosen for two-blade models, in an
attempt to compensate for the different aerodynamic loads that
the blades will have to withstand.
• A teetering hub is the option for downwind turbines.

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Wind turbine components
1. blade
2. blade support
3. pitch actuator
4. hub
5. cover
6. main support
7. low speed shaft
8. lights
9. gear box
10. refrigeration system
11. Brakes
12. generator
13. power converter and electrical
control and protection devices
14. transformer
15. anemometers
16. nacelle
17. tower
18. yaw motor

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Power Regulation of Wind turbines
• The power control is divided into two regimes
with different concepts:
– power optimization for low wind speeds
– power limitation for high wind speeds
• Basically, there are three approaches to power
control:
• stall control
• pitch control
• active stall control

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 Sitting of wind Turbines

Basic considerations for siting a large wind turbine or wind

park:
 High average wind speed at the site (wind velocities are
higher on hilltops, along open plain terrains, at sea coasts
or lake shores, and especially in open seas);
 Proximity to roads, easy access to the site;
 Proximity to high-voltage power lines;
 Public acceptance, architectural issues.
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 Environmental impact of large turbines

Impact on wildlife;
Noise and flickering shadows;
Visibility issues and intrusion in natural scenery;
Issues on material recycling after end of life for the
machine;
Degradation of land, erosion due to road construction,
etc…

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 Wind Disadvantages
• Siting
– Noise
– Aesthetics

• Intermittent source of power

• Transmission constraints
• Operational characteristics different from conventional
fuel sources
• Financing

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 Wind Energy and the Grid
• Pros (merits)
– Small project size
– Short/flexible development time
– Dispatch ability
• Cons (demerits)
– Generally remote location
– Grid connectivity -- lack of transmission capability
– Intermittent output
• Only When the wind blows (night? Day?)
– Low capacity factor
– Predicting the wind -- we’re getting better
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 Wind Farm Design Economics

• Key Design Parameters

– Mean wind speed at hub height
– Capacity factor
• Start with 100%
• Subtract time when wind speed less than optimum
• Subtract time due to scheduled maintenance
• Subtract time due to unscheduled maintenance
• Subtract production losses
– Dirty blades, shut down due to high winds
• Typically 33% at a Class 4 wind site
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 Wind Potential Assessment - Ethiopia

Although the potential for wind energy as indicated

by varies studies is claimed to be vast and
promising, so far very little wind energy has been
reported or seen to be used owing to its infancy even
in the global market .

Ethiopia has abundant wind potential from which

very little is being harvested
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Wind Potential Assessment - Ethiopia

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 Wind farms in Ethiopia

• According to The Wind Power', the number of wind

parks in operation (July 2017) is at three. All these
wind parks deliver power to the national grid, they
are ICS power stations.

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Wind farms in Ethiopia

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• Ayisha I (120 MWe), Ayisha II (120 MWe) and Ayisha
III (60 MWe) are bundled in one concession. This
means, that the latter two will follow immediately
after completion of Ayisha I. The total installed
capacity will be 300 MWe.

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