Wind Energy Basics What is Electricity Electricity is
Wind Energy Basics
What is Electricity? Electricity is energy transported by the motion of electrons **We do not make electricity, we CONVERT other energy sources into electrical energy** Conversion is the name of the game Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Electricity! More efficient light bulbs are great, but what is the BEST way to conserve electricity and reduce our consumption of fossil fuels? ? ? • How much would it cost to run this 100 Watt bulb for a full day (24 hrs)? • What about this 25 Watt CFL light bulb, which produces the same amount of light? • 100 Watts x 24 hours = 2400 Watt Hours (2400 Watt Hours = 2. 4 Kilowatt Hours) • 25 Watts x 24 hours = 600 Watt Hours (600 Watt Hours = 0. 6 Kilowatt Hours) • 2. 4 k. Wh x $0. 08/k. Wh = $0. 19 • 0. 6 k. Wh x $0. 08/k. Wh = $0. 05 TURN IT OFF!!! Be conscious of your energy choices!
Where do we get our electricity? Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
What is a Fossil Fuel? ? ?
What is “Renewable Energy? ”
Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Types of Electricity Generating Windmills Small ( 10 k. W) Intermediate (10 -250 k. W) • Homes • Farms • Remote Applications • Village Power • Hybrid Systems • Distributed Power (e. g. water pumping, telecom sites, icemaking) Large (250 k. W - 2+MW) • Central Station Wind Farms • Distributed Power Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Parts of a Wind Turbine
Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Wind Turbine Perspective Workers Blade 112’ long Nacelle 56 tons Tower 3 sections Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Large Wind Turbines • • 450’ base to blade Each blade 112’ Span greater than 747 163+ tons total Foundation 20+ feet deep Rated at 1. 5 – 5 megawatt Supply at least 350 homes
Yawing – Facing the Wind • Active Yaw (all medium & large turbines produced today, & some small turbines from Europe) – Anemometer on nacelle tells controller which way to point rotor into the wind – Yaw drive turns gears to point rotor into wind • Passive Yaw (Most small turbines) – Wind forces alone direct rotor • Tail vanes • Downwind turbines Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Importance of Wind Speed • No other factor is more important to the amount of power available in the wind than the speed of the wind • Power is a cubic function of wind speed – VXVXV • 20% increase in wind speed means 73% more power • Doubling wind speed means 8 times more power Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Carnage!
Jobs in the Wind Industry
Construction
Public Relations/Organizing Support Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Operations/ Maintenance
Maintenance Kid. Wind Project | www. kidwind. org
Engineering/ Design
Environmental Impact Assessment
Questions? ? ?
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