Unit 3 Wind Energy

Renewable Sources of Energy
WIND ENERGY
 Wind is the movement of the air due to pressure
difference.
 Caused by uneven heating and cooling of the of
the earth’s surface
 On Earth, the main differences in air pressure are
caused by differences in temperature. Cold air
produces high air pressure and warm air produces
low air pressure. Warm air wants to rise. When
warm air rises, cold air will move in and replace
the warm air, causing wind.
TYPES OF WIND
 Global Wind
 Global winds are created by - differences in temperature between the
equator and the polar areas and the spin of the Earth (Coriolis effect)
 Temperature difference between equator and polar areas- sun shines
more directly on the equator than on the poles.
 As a result, the air is warmer near the equator.
 Warm air near the equator is not as dense as the cool air near the pole.
 Because it is less dense, the air at the equator rises, forming areas of low
pressure.
 Cold air near the poles sinks, forming areas of high pressure.
 Air moves in large circular patterns called convection cells.
 Coriolis effect- If Earth did not rotate, these winds
would blow in straight lines. However, because
Earth does rotate, the winds follow curved paths.
 This deflection, or curving, of moving objects from a
straight path because of Earth’s rotation is called the
Coriolis effect.
 Coriolis Effect is an important force to consider for
global weather patterns.
 Coriolis Effect causes wind to appear to deflect to
the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left
in the southern hemisphere.
 Over short distances, the Coriolis Effect causes a
deflection that is too small to be noticeable
POLAR REGION: The polar region covers the
two poles, the North and the South Pole. This
region is far away from the sun and experiences
the highest degree of chillness due to the snow
clad falling in all regions. The polar region is
surrounded by the polar ice caps.
EQUATORIAL REGION: The equator is in

the center and it is close to the sun and hence it
faces the highest temperature. The equatorial
region is from east to west. The equatorial region
doesn't have ice caps instead temperature is
higher in equator.
Local winds
 Local winds are winds that blow over a limited area.
 Caused by differences in temperature of local bodies
 Sea breezes and land breezes
 A sea breeze blows from sea to land during the day
or in summer.
 During day/ summer, air over the land is warmer than
air over the water.
 Density of air(land) < Density of air(sea)
 Pressure of air (land) < Pressure of air(sea)
 The warm air rises. Cool air from over the water
flows in to take its place.
 A land breeze blows from land to sea during the
night or in winter.
 That’s when air over the water is warmer than air over
the land. The warm air rises. Cool air from the land
flows out to take its place.
Mountain and Valley Breezes
 During the day/summer, the air over the mountain
slope heats up more than the air at the foot of the

mountain. The warm air over the slope reduces in
density. A low pressure is created at the top of the
mountain and high pressure from the cool air below
forces a cool breeze to move upward. This condition
generates a breeze which we call Valley breeze.
 In the night/winter, it is a lot cooler as the sun goes
to sleep. So the air at the upper slope of the
mountain cools off very quickly and becomes dense.
A high pressure is created. At this time, the air at the
valley floor is a lot warmer (low pressure) and is
forced to give way to colder air moving down the
slope towards the valley floor. This is called
mountain breeze.
Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion,
also (wind)
Parts of wind turbines
 Tower: Physical structure that holds the wind turbine. It supports the rotor,
nacelle, blades, and other wind turbine equipments
 Typical commercial wind towers are usually 50–120 m long and they are
constructed from concrete or reinforced steel.
 Blades: Physical structures, lifts and rotates when wind is blown over them,
causing the rotor to spin(captures the power of wind).
 Most turbines have either two or three blades.
 Each blade is usually 20 m or more in length, depending on the power level.
 Wind turbine blades can reach speeds in excess of 160 miles/hour(3–15 m/s)
when in operation and therefore require robust construction.
 Component primarily comprises wood, fiberglass, resin and carbon .
 Rotor :Rotating part of the wind turbine.
 It transfers the energy in the wind to the shaft.
 Rotor Hub : Central solid portion of the rotor wheel is known as hub.
 All blades are attached to the hub.
 Shaft: Divided into two types: low and high speed.
 Low-speed shaft transfers mechanical energy from the rotor to the gearbox.
 High-speed shaft transfers mechanical energy from gearbox to generator.
 Nacelle-Located on the top of the tower.
 Usually made of fiberglass.
 Contains- low and high-speed shafts, gearbox, the brake, pitch control, yaw
drive , generator.
 Protects the turbine’s internal components from the surrounding environment.
Gearbox-Mechanical component that is used to increase or decrease the
rotational speed.
Brake- Mechanical part connected to the high-speed shaft in order to reduce
the rotational speed/ stop the wind turbine(rotor) when power is not desired or
during emergency conditions.
Blade Pitch Control- Controls the angle of the blades.
Yaw drive- Controls the position of the turbine relative to the wind.
To ensure the wind turbine is producing the maximal amount of electric
energy at all times, the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the wind
as the wind direction changes.
Generator component that converts the mechanical energy from the rotor to
electrical energy.
 Anemometer : sensor that is used to measure the wind speed
Large turbines are often grouped together to create wind power
plants, or wind farms, that provide power to electricity grids.
MAIN CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTION OF SITE FOR WECS
 Located where the high average wind velocities available are in the
range of 6 m/s to 30 m/s throughout the year since power developed is
proportional to cube of wind velocity.
 WECS must be located far away from cities and forests since the
buildings and forests offer resistance to the air movement.
 There should be no tall structures in 3 km radius from the
installation.
 Wind farms are located in flat open areas, deserts , seas, shores and off
shores site since wind velocities are of high in these locations.
 Historical data of wind, mean wind speed must be collected for average
velocities during the year to select the site for availability of wind
 Ground surface should have high soil strength to reduce the cost of
foundation.
 If small trees or vegetation exists at a particular location then it would
need to increase the height of tower since any obstruction reduce the
wind velocity. It causes the increase in cost of installation.
 It should be installed away from localities so that the sound pollution
caused by wind mills/ wind turbines does not affect the habitants in near
areas.
 Minimum wind speeds at the selected site must be higher than 3.5 to 4.5
m/s which is the lower limit at which the present wind energy conversion
system starts turning.
 It is called as cut-in-speed. Upto this speed no power will be generated
 The size of wind turbines varies widely. The length of the blades is the
biggest factor in determining the amount of electricity a wind turbine
can generate.
 Small wind turbines that can power a single home may have an
electricity generating capacity of 10 kilowatts (kW).
 The largest wind turbines in operation have electricity generating
capacities of up to megawatts (10 megawatts), and larger turbines are in
development.
 Large turbines are often grouped together to create wind power plants,
or wind farms, that provide power to electricity grids .
Important Links
 https://www.acciona.com/renewable-energy/wind-energy/
 https://mnre.gov.in/wind/current-status/
 https://niwe.res.in/
 https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/wind/types-of-wind-turbines.php
 https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Wind#cite_note-Ref4-6

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Renewable Sources of Energy

EQUATORIAL REGION: The equator is in

slope heats up more than the air at the foot of the

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