MODULE-3

WIND ENERGY
 WIND ENERGY- Introduction- Basic principles of Wind Energy Conversion
Systems
 (WECS) wind speed measurement-Classification of WECS- types of
rotors. wind power equation -Betz limit.
 Electrical Power Output and Capacity Factor of WECS- Advantages
and Disadvantages of WECS -site selection criteria.
 WIND ENERGY
 Wind is air set in motion by small amount of insolation reaching the upper
atmosphere of earth.
 It contains kinetic energy (K.E.) which can easily be converted to electrical
energy.
 Nature generates about 1.67 × 105 kWh of wind energy annually over land area
of earth and 10 times this figure over the entire globe.
 Wind energy, is an indirect source of energy, can be used to run a wind
mill which in turn drives a generator to produce electricity.
 Wind mills have been used for more than a dozen centuries for grinding grain
and pumping water, interest in large scale power generation has developed
 UTILISATION ASPECTS OF WIND ENERGY
Utilisation aspects of wind energy fall into the following three broad categories:

1. Isolated continuous duty systems which need suitable energy storage and

reconversion systems.

2. Fuel-supplement systems in conjunction with power grid or isolated

conventional generating units(most predominant in use as it saves fuel and is fast

growing particularly in energy deficient grids).

3. Small rural systems which can use energy when wind is available. (application

in developing countries with large isolated rural areas).

 CHARACTERISTICS OF WIND
The main characteristics of wind are:
 Wind speed increases roughly as 1/7th power of height.
 Typical tower heights are about20–30 m.

 Energy-pattern factor. It is the ratio of the actual energy in

varying wind to energy calculated from the cube of mean wind
speed.
 This factor is always greater than unity which means the
energy estimates based on mean (hourly) speed are
pessimistic.
 Advantages of wind energy
1. It is a renewable energy source.
2. Wind power systems being non-polluting have no adverse effect on the
environment.
3. Fuel provision and transport are not required in wind energy conversion systems.
4. Economically competitive.
5. Ideal choice for rural and remote areas and areas which lack other energy sources.
 Disadvantages:
1. Owing to its irregularity, the wind energy needs storage.
2. Availability of energy is fluctuating in nature.
3. The overall weight of a wind power system is relatively high.
4. Wind energy conversion systems are noisy in operation.
5. Large areas are required for installation/operation of wind energy
systems.
6. Present systems are neither maintenance free, nor practically
reliable.
7. Low energy density.
8. Favourable winds are available only in a few geographical locations, away from cities, forests
9. Wind turbine design, manufacture and installation have proved to be most complex due to
several variables and extreme stresses.
10. Requires energy storage batteries and/or stand by diesel generators for supply of continuous
power to load.
11. Wind farms require flat, vacant land free from forests.
12. Only in kW and a few MW range; it does not meet the energy needs of large cities and indus
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF WIND
ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEM (WECS)

Basic components of a wind energy conversion system (WECS).

 Wind turbines (Aeroturbines) convert the energy of moving air into rotary
mechanical energy. These turbines requires pitch and yaw controls for proper
operation.
 A mechanical interface consisting of a step up gear and a suitable coupling
transmits the rotary mechanical to an electrical generator. The output of this
generator is connected to the road or power grid as the application demands.
 A controller serves purposes of sensing:
(i) Wind speed
(ii) Wind direction, shafts speed and torques at one or more points
(iii) Output power and generator temperature as necessary
(iv) Appropriate control signals for matching the electrical output to the wind energy
input
(v) Protect the system from extreme conditions brought about by strong winds,
electrical faults etc.
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1. Aerodynamics. It is the branch of science which deals with air and gases in
motion and their mechanical effects.
2. Airfoil or aerofoil. A streamlined air surface designed for air to flow around it in

order to produce low drag and high lift forces.

3. Angle of attack. It is the angle between the relative air flow and the closed of the
air foil

Angle of attack Air foil showing edges, camber and chord.

4. Blade. An important part of a wind turbine that extracts wind energy.
5. Leading edge. It is the front edge of the blade that faces towards the direction of
flow.
6. Trailing edge. It is the rear edge of the blade that faces away from the direction of
wind flow
7. Mean line. A line that is equidistant from the upper and lower
surfaces of the air foil.
8. Camber. It is the maximum distance between the mean line and the chord line,
which measures the curvature of the airfoil.
9. Rotor. It is the primary part of the wind turbine that extract
energy from the wind. It constitutes the blade-and-hub assembly.
10. Hubs. Blades are fixed to a hubs which is a central solid part of the turbine.
11. Pitch angle. It is the angle between the direction of wind and the direction
perpendicular to the planes of blades.
12. Pitch control. It is the control of pitch angle by turning the blades or blade tips
13. Yaw control. It is the control for orienting (steering) the axis of wind turbine in
the direction of wind
14. Teethering. It is see-saw like swinging motion with hesitation between two alternatives.

The plane of wind turbine wheel is swung in inclined position at higher wind speeds by

teethering control.

15. Solidity. It is ratio of blade area to the swept area (area covered by the rotating rotor).

16. Drag force. It is the force component which is in line with the velocity of wind.

17. Lift force. It is the force component perpendicular to drag force.

18. Windmill. It is the machinery driven by the wind acting upon sails used chiefly in flat

districts for grinding of corn, pumping of water etc.

 Wind turbine (Aeroturbine, wind machine).

 It is a machine which converts wind power into rotary mechanical power.

 A wind turbine has aerofoil blades mounted on the rotor.

 The wind drives the rotor and produces rotary mechanical energy.

 Wind turbine generator unit. It is an assemblage of a wind turbine, gear chain,

 electrical generator, associated civil works and auxiliaries.
 Wind farm (wind energy park). It is a zone comprising several turbine-generator
units, electrical and mechanical auxiliaries, substation, control room etc.

 Wind farms are located in areas having continuous favourable wind. Such locations
are on-shore or off-shore away from cities and forests.

 Nacelle. It is an assemblage comprising of the wind turbine, gears, generator,

bearings, control gear etc. mounted in a housing.

COMPONENTS OF A WIND TURBINE
CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF WIND
MILLS/MACHINES
The wind mills machines are classified as follows:
1. Based on the type of rotor:
(i) Propeller type (horizontal axis)
(ii) Multiblade type (horizontal axis)
(iii) Savonius type (vertical axis)
(iv) Darrieus type (vertical axis).
2. Based on orientation of the axis of rotor:
(i) Horizontal axis
(ii) Vertical axis.
1. Propeller type wind mill:
 These are most commonly used wind mills.
 Such a wind mill has two or three blades for economical reasons.
 Though the two blade design is most efficient, yet it faces the difficulty of
vibrations during orientation to wind direction called ‘Yaw control’.
 These machines are rated from 1 to 3 MW.

Propeller
type
blade
 2. Multiblade type wind mill:
 The multiblade wind turbines are high solidity turbines used for pumping the
water because of high starting torque characteristics.
 The multiblade rotors are less efficient because of interference of blades in
each other but they are less noisy.

Multiblade type. Four-blade dutch wind mill

 3. Savonius type wind mill:
 This type of wind mill has hallow circular cylinder sliced in half and the
halves are mounted on vertical shaft with a gap in between.
 Torque is produced by pressure difference between the two sides of the half
facing the wind.
 This is quite efficient but needs a large surface area.
Advantages:
1. Low cost.
2. Operation at low wind velocity.
3. No need of yaw and pitch control.
4. Generator can be mounted at the ground level.
Applications.
It is useful for grinding grains, pumping water etc.
4. Darrieus type wind mill :
 This wind mill needs much less surface area.
 It is shaped like an egg beater and has two or three blades shaped like
airfoils.
Characteristics of Darrieus rotor:
(i) Not self starting, needs auxiliary starter.
(ii) High speed.
(iii) High efficiency
(iv) Potentially low capital cost.
 Advantages:

(i) The generator, gear box etc. are placed on the ground.

(ii) No need of yaw mechanism to turn the motor against the wind.

Both the Savonius and Darrieus types are mounted on a vertical axis and
hence they can run independently of the direction of wind.
The horizontal axis mills have to face the direction of the wind in order to
generate power.
 5. Horizontal axis wind machines :

 Although the common wind turbine with a horizontal axis is simple in principle,
yet the design of a complete system, especially a large one that would produce
electric power economically, is complex.

 Components like rotor, transmission, generator and tower should not only be as
efficient as possible but they must also function effectively in combination.
 6. Vertical axis wind machines :
 One of the main advantages of vertical axis rotors is that they do not have to be
turned into the windstream as the wind direction changes, because their operation
is independent of wind direction. These vertical axis machines are called
panemones.
 Advantages of vertical axis wind machines:

1. The rotor is not subjected to continuous cyclic gravity loads since the blades do
not turn end over end (Fatigue induced by such action is a major consideration in
the design of large horizontal axis machines).

2. Since these machines would react to wind from any direction, therefore, they do
not need yawing equipment to turn the rotor into the wind.

3. As heavy components (e.g. gear box, generator) can be located at ground level
these machines may need less structural support.

4. The installation and maintenance are easy in this type of configuration.

Comparison between Horizontal axis and
Vertical axis Wind Machines