Wind Energy Source

By: Daniel Deng and Dayna Alaina

POE Block 3

Inexhaustible wind energy

Wind is an inexhaustible energy source.
Harnesses unlimited amount of kinetic energy (wind)
Wind is caused by the unequal heating of the Earth.
Also caused by differences in atmospheric pressure.

How is wind made usable?

Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical
power
Mechanical power can be used for certain activities such as
pumping water
Mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy via
generator.
The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft connected to the
generator and produces electricity.

www.giphy.com/

Costs of utilizing wind energy

Wind turbines cost $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity.
A kW is a measure of power

The costs for a utility scale wind turbine range from about $1.3 million
to $2.2 million per MW
The cost of generating a megawatt-hour of electricity range from $37
to $81.

www.a
wea.c
om

Transmission needs
A transmission line is required to bring the generated power to
markets.

kresge.org

Widespread Use of Wind Energy

Abundant in U.S.: over 39 states use this energy
American homes powered in a year: about 18 million
More than 225,000 wind turbines were used around the world in more
than 80 countries (2012)

Emerging Technologies and their Benefits

Horizontal-axis design
High efficiency
Every 10 meters up, wind speed increases by 20% and power output 34%.

Vertical-axis design
Low production cost
Low risk for humans and birds/bats.

Environmental Issues
Negative
Wildlife Impact
Bird and Bat collisions
Land take up
Wind turbines have to be spread out based on the diameter of the blades
Positive
Do not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases

Fun Facts
Power output of wind turbines increases as the cube of wind speed.
If the speed of the wind doubles, the production of electricity is
increased about eight times.
As many as 8,000 components in a wind turbine.
The United States wind power capacity reached more than 65.8
gigawatts by the end of 2014, enough electricity to power more
than 17.5 million homes annually.
By 2050, the United States has the potential to avoid the emission of
more than 12.3 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases

Sources
"Wind 101: The Basics of Wind Energy." Wind 101: The Basics of Wind Energy. American
Wind Energy Association, n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
http://www.awea.org/Resources/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=900
"Wind Energy Development Environmental Concerns." Wind Energy Development
Environmental Concerns. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
http://www.windeis.anl.gov/guide/concern/index.cfm
"How To Transform Wind Into Energy." ConserveEnergyFuture. N.p., 19 Jan. 2013. Web.
04 Oct. 2015. <http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Wind_Into_Energy.php>.
http://giphy.com/gifs/explosion-wind-storm-3o5RojbqYYFag

More Sources
"Environmental Impacts and Siting of Wind Projects." Environmental Impacts and Siting
of Wind Projects. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
http://energy.gov/eere/wind/environmental-impacts-and-siting-wind-projects
"Environmental Impacts of Wind Power." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/environmental-i
mpacts-wind-power.html#.VhCf07QmTlJ
"How Much Do Wind Turbines Cost?" Windustry. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
http://www.windustry.org/how_much_do_wind_turbines_cost.
GWEC. N.p., n.d. Web.
http://www.gwec.net/faqs/how-many-wind-turbines-world/

Even More Sources

"How Do Wind Turbines Work?" How Do Wind Turbines Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
http://energy.gov/eere/wind/how-do-wind-turbines-work
"Advantages and Disadvantages of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine." Advantages and
Disadvantages of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
http://www.green-mechanic.com/2013/04/advantages-and-disadvantages-of.html
"202: Types of Wind Turbines & Their Advantages & Disadvantages - KOHILO Wind Turbines."
KOHILO
Wind Turbines. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.
http://kohilowind.com/kohilo-university/403-the-efficiency-capacity-factor/