Basics on Wind Electric Generators
New engineered
wind turbines provide a cost-effective energy source in sites
where wind resources are favorable. Wind energy may generate more
than 20% of the global electricity needs in many countries, in
the near future.
Generating electricity for yourself or to
sell…
There are many
options concerning wind energy: you may be interested in a small turbine – that may cost you less
than $50,000 -, to generate electricity for your house, and/or to
sell it to the utility grid… Or you may be interested in a
micro wind system, to power your sailboat or to battery charging in remote places…
But you may also be interested on leasing your lands to developers,
if your land has the right wind resources… Or you may be
interested on mega-turbines (that may cost you $1,000,000
or more each one) and wind farms, for large scale production of
electricity...
There are
indeed many options involving the wind energy,
namely:
- large turbines in onshore and
offshore wind farms
- small wind turbines for single
homes, farms and small communities
- on-grid and
stand alone turbines;
- micro wind systems (for battery charging, sailboats, electric
fencing...).
- experimental urban wind systems
Wind
energy and environment
Over its
lifetime a diesel based system produces more than 1 ton of
air pollutants and around 200 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
A small home wind system can reduce those pollutants and gases
to zero. Wind energy is pollution-free, and doesn’t require fuel
or create greenhouse gases or negative wastes.
See, for details: Wind energy and
Environment
Trends, future and technology
Wind energy
systems can provide between 1/5 and 1/3 of the electricity
requirements of most countries within the next two or three
decades. It’s a trend already embodied by countries as Germany,
Spain or Denmark. We shouldn’t forget that a single mega turbine
can provide the electricity to supply the needs of many hundreds
of people, and that wind power already provides the equivalent to
the annual electric needs of 1.2 million British homes.
Obviously, most
of these goals or achievements are connected to wind farms and their
mega-turbines. Wind farms like the London Array
generate enough electric power to supply the needs of 750,000 homes…
But besides
wind farms, with their mega-turbines, there are also the small
and the micro-wind systems, largely focused on home's
electricity needs. These types of systems may also have
an important role, mainly in rural areas or in specific
applications.
See:
Wind power generators technology
Offshore vs offshore wind systems
Wind speed and wind maps
Wind speed and steady pace are crucial.
All
other things being equal, a site with 16 miles per hour average
winds may generate the double of the electricity of a site with 14
miles per hour average winds.
See, for details:
Wind speed and wind maps
Mega-turbines &
wind farms
Wind farms are
based on large turbines, located on-ground or off-shore. 5
Megawatts (5.000.000 W) wind turbines are already in operation
in off shore platforms in the North Sea (typical turbines
capacity is around 1,5 MW-2MW) and their dimensions are
impressive: the diameter of the
blades is around 126 m and they weight around 120 tons. These
turbines are representative of a new trend on offshore
wind farms
and their turbines.
See:
Onshore vs offshore wind farms
and systems
Wind power generators technology
Image
source: EERE
Small home wind turbines
We can
distinguish between…
1) the very
small turbines and systems, below 1 KW of power (which we may
call the micro wind systems), mainly directed to specific uses
and battery charging and…
2) the
turbines and systems that may provide enough electricity to
fulfill the needs (or most of the needs) of single homes.
See:
Small wind systems
Micro wind systems (below 1 kW)
Turbines size and power
Landowners and onshore wind farms
Owners of windy land may be interested in leasing
them to wind farm developers (or in erecting one or more
wind turbines themselves, on their lands).
See, for details:
Wind farms
Wind farms, mega-turbines and
landowners
Onshore vs offshore wind farms
and systems
Wind turbine
towers
Wind turbine towers are an important element of any wind system
(except in the experimental urban wind
systems).
Wind speed increases strongly with the height of the tower, and
that causes higher performances. The same turbine can increase
its power by 30% or more if its tower height passes from 50 or
60-foot to the double.
See, for details:
Wind turbine towers: height and size
On-grid
or Stand Alone Wind Systems
Small electric wind systems
can be stand
alone or on-grid.
In the first case - and eventually also in the second case -
small home systems demand a storage battery bank.
In the second case, net-metering is a key element.
See:
Stand alone wind electric generators
On-grid wind and solar systems
Net Metering
Storage Battery Bank and Back-up Engine Generators
Costs, Investment, Payback
See, for details on prices,
investment and its recovery:
Prices
and Investment & Wind Generators
Wind Energy payback and financial
incentives
Wind farms
Manufacturers, Dealers and turbines lifetime and maintenance
The lifetime of
wind turbines is 20 years or more. Though their maintenance costs
are low, they exist: turbine systems require service checks
every year or few years.
See:
Wind Turbines Manufacturers and
Dealers
Wind vs Solar and Hybrid Systems
See:
Solar-Wind Hybrid Systems
Solar vs Wind electricity production
Safety and Legal Requirments
See:
Legal requirements
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Basics on Wind Electric Generators Systems
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