History of Wind Energy, Types of Turbines, and Applications of Wind Energy

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History of Wind Energy, Types of Turbines, and
Applications of Wind Energy
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Windmills have fascinated us for centuries and
will continue to do so. Like campfires or falling
water, theyre mesmerizing indeed,
entrancing. Paul Gipe, Wind Power for Home,
Farm, Business
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Basic Nomenclature

• Wind Machine
• Kinetic device used to capture the wind and put
  it to work
• Wind System
• Wind machine, tower, and all ancillary equipment
• Windmill
• Wind machine that generates mechanical motion
  (ie. water pumping, grain grinding, etc.)
• Wind Turbine
• A device that uses kinetic energy of wind to
  generate electricity

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Basic Nomenclature
Sails or Blades
Nacelle
Hub
Tower or post
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Wind Power's Beginnings ?(2000 B.C. - 1300 A.D.)
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Earliest known use of the wind power is the sail
boat
Around 2000 BC
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In ancient Persia they adopted the sail concept
and applied it to perform mechanical work
500-900 AD--used to grind grains and seeds.
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Wind Power in the Western World (1300 - 1875 A.D.)
Early Westerners understood that placing the
blades horizontally was a much more efficient way
to capture the energy of wind
Stilled depended on aerodynamic drag
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As early as 1390, the Dutch set out to refine the
tower mill design

• Post mill affixed to the
• top of a multi-story tower
• Separate floors devoted
• to different processes
• Windsmith and his family
• lived on the bottom floor
• Sails (blades) had to be
• manually oriented into
• the wind

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A primary improvement of the European mills was
their designer's use of sails that generated
aerodynamic lift
This increased rotor speed (the device onto which
the blades are attached) in relation to the
velocity of the wind
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The process of perfecting the aerodynamic
efficiency of windmill sails took around 500
years
Historians consider windmills the electric
motors of pre-industrial Europe
Applications waterwell, irrigation, or drainage
pumping using a scoop wheel (single or tandem),
grain-grinding (again, using single or multiple
stones), saw-milling of timber, and the
processing of other commodities such as spices,
cocoa, paints and dyes, and tobacco.
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Beginning in 1859, water pumping Windmills helped
settle the American West
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Between 1850 and 1970, over six million mostly
small (1 horsepower or less) mechanical output
wind machines were installed in the U.S. alone
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EARLY WIND GENERATORS
The first windmill to generate electricity was a
system built in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1888 by
Charles F. Brush Used the American multi-bladed
windmill design
Photo courtesy of the Danish Wind Energy
Association www.windpower.org
Produced about 12 kilowatts (KW) of power
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EARLY WIND GENERATORS
Poul la Cour (1846-1908), a meteorologist, was
the pioneer of modern electricity generating wind
turbines.
Two of his test wind turbines in 1897 at Askov
Folk High School, Askov, Denmark. Photo courtesy
of the Danish Wind Industry Association
www.windpower.org
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Early Electric Wind Turbines helped Electrify
Remote Farms in the early 1900s
In the 1930s Marcellus Jacobs producing an
affordable small turbine called the Jacobs that
provided electricity for homes and farms
throughout rural America
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1930-1941
Palmer Putnam's 1.25-megawatt wind turbine was
one of the engineering marvels of the late
1930's, but the jump in scale was too great for
available materials.

• The first wind generator to provide
• power to a utility was the Putnam
• turbine installed at Grandpas Knob,
• Vermont in 1941

• Connected to Central Vermont grid

• Short lived experiment due to
• expense and mechanical failures

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European developments continued after World War
II, when temporary shortages of fossil fuels led
to higher energy costs. As in the United
States, the primary application for these systems
was interconnection to the electric power grid.
In Denmark, the 200 kW Gedser Mill wind turbine
operated successfully until the early 1960s, when
declining fossil-fuel prices once again made wind
energy made uncompetitive with steam-powered
generating plants.
Hutter's wind turbines, like other German devices
of the mid-20th century, were advanced for their
time.
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The 1970s Energy Crisis

• In the U.S. the oil embargo of
• 1973 created a surge of national
• interest in large wind turbines
• Government research programs
• were started to develop and bring
• to market new wind turbines
• Early studies identified megawatt
• scale turbines as the most
• economical
• A drop in oil prices and an
• increase in supply scuttled most
• government funded projects

The 3-megawatt, 100-meter diameter MOD-2 operated
by PGE in Solano, California was the most
successful private operation of a multi-megawatt
wind turbine until the MOD-5B in Oahu, Hawaii.
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Early Wind Farms
First wind farms constructed in California in the
early 1980s Over 17,000 machines (mainly Dutch
manufactured), ranging in output from 20 to 350
kilowatts, were installed in wind farms between
1981 and 1990
Wind turbines at Altamont Pass
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Wind in America
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Wind is Fastest Growing Energy Source
US Installed Wind Capacity
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Compared to Germany
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Installed U.S. Wind Capacity and Wind Project
Locations
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Drivers for Wind Power

• Rising Fuel Price and Uncertainty
• Declining Wind Costs
• Federal and State Policies Incentives
• Local Economic Development
• Environmental Stewardship
• Energy Security
• Consumer Demand

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Why such growthcosts!
1979 40 cents/kWh
2000 4 - 6 cents/kWh
NSP 107 MW Lake Benton wind farm 4 cents/kWh
(unsubsidized)

• Increased Turbine Size
• RD Advances
• Manufacturing Improvements

2004 3 4.5 cents/kWh
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US Capacity is Growing in fits and starts
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Wind Potential
Source U.S. DOE
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Wind Turbine Types
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Wind Turbine Sizes

• Medium
• Village Power
• Hybrid Systems
• Distributed Power
• 80,000-500,000
• 20-150 ft. diameter
• 100-250 kW

• Small
• Homes Farms
• Remote Applications
• 5,000-50,000
• 2-20 ft. diameter
• lt100 kW

• Large (250 kW 7.5 MW)
• Central Station Wind Farms
• Distributed Power
• 750,000 - 3,000,000 (per turbine)
• 150 300 ft. diameter

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Rotor diameter
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Small Medium Turbines

• Micro
• lt1.25 m (4 ft) rotor diameter
• Mini / Cabin-size
• 1-3 m (3-10 ft) rotor diameter
• Household
• 4-10 m (13-33 ft) rotor diameter
• Medium
• 10-60 m (33-200 ft) rotor diameter

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Medium Large Wind Turbines

• Hub height
• 160 - 260
• Blade tip height
• 240 - 390

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Turbine Technology Today
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Small Wind Technology
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Small Wind Passive yaw/furling system
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Small Wind Blades
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Wind Turbine Orientation

• Turbines can be categorized into two overarching
  classes based on the orientation of the rotor
• Vertical Axis Horizontal
  Axis

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VAWTs have not been commercially successful

• Every few years a new company comes along
  promising a revolutionary breakthrough in wind
  turbine design that is low cost, outperforms
  anything else on the market, and overcomes all of
  the previous problems with VAWTs. They can also
  usually be installed on a roof or in a city where
  wind is poor.

WindStor
Mag-Wind
WindTree
Wind Wandler
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Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

• Highly efficient at
• harvesting energy
• 1/2pAV2
• more area of lift
• is exposed to the
• wind
• no contradicting
• load

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Up and down wind rotors

• Rotors are usually Up-wind of tower
• Some machines have down-wind rotors, but only
  commercially available ones are small turbines

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Downwind
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Upwind
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Small Wind Towers
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Small Wind Applications

• Generating electricity at Remote Sites
• Producing electricity in parallel with utility
• Water Pumping

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Hybrid Systems Rural Electrification
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US Small Wind Manufacturers

• Bergey, Oklahoma
• Southwest Windpower, Arizona
• Abundant Renewable Energy (ARE), Oregon

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Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Technology
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Inside a Utility-Scale Wind Turbine
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The Nacelle
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The Nacelle

• Inside all critical components of the wind
  turbine
• Main bearing
• Drive train shaft
• Gear box
• Generator
• Cooling system
• Yaw system

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Hub
The hub is where the blades converge Inside the
hub is the blade pitch mechanisms
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Gear Systems
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Generator

• A generator converts mechanical energy into
  electrical energy
• a magnet is moved inside a coil of wire causing
  an electrical current to flow in the wire

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Blade Technology
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Blade Technology
Just like the wings of an airplane, wind turbine
blades use the airfoil shape to create lift and
maximize efficiency.
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Number of Blades - Three

• Balance of gyroscopic forces
• Slower rotation
• increases gearbox transmission costs
• More aesthetic, less noise, fewer bird strikes

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Pitch Control vs. Stall Control

• Pitch Control
• Blades rotate out of the wind when wind speed
  becomes too great
• Active Stall Control
• Many larger turbines today have active pitch
  control that turns the blades towards stall when
  wind speeds are too great

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Utility-Scale Towers
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Towers

• Monopole (Nearly all large turbines)
• Tubular Steel or Concrete
• Lattice (many Medium turbines)
• 20 ft. sections

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Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Size

• 450 base to blade
• Each blade 160
• Span greater than 747
• 163 tons total
• Foundation 20 feet deep
• Rated at 1.5 7.5 megawatts

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Wind Turbine Perspective
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Wide Sweep
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US Large Wind Manufactures

• General Electric
• Clipper Windpower

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Wind Farms
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Utility Wind Farm Power Distribution
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Wind Farms-land based
Tehachapi
Buffalo Ridge
Campo Reservation
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Off-Shore Windfarms
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Middelgrunden
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Environmental Other Concerns about Wind
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Some Concerns about Wind(that can be addressed
with proper information)

• Visual / Aesthetic
• Property Values
• Noise
• Birds
• Safety
• Are benefits real?

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Siting and NIMBY
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Visual Impact

• Many people think wind turbines are graceful,
  kinetic sculptures.
• People who have never seen modern wind turbines
  in person are more likely to think they will be
  an eyesore.
• There are always people who complain about visual
  impacts before a project is built.
• Approval rates are higher after projects are
  built and in areas that already have turbines.

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Approval Rates Increase with Actual Exposure to
Technology
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What about the birds?

• Wind Turbines kill very few birds compared to
  other human activities
• Estimates are 1-2 bird deaths per turbine per
  year
• Global warming is the single biggest threat to
  wildlife today
• A recent study in Nature found that more than 1/3
  of species worldwide will be extinct by 2050 if
  global warming trends continue

As responsible citizens, stewards, and
advocates, Mass Audubon strongly supports public
policies and private projects that advance energy
conservation and efficiency. We also support the
development of wind farms, as a renewable energy
source to offset the effects of global climate
change produced by the burning of fossil fuels.
Sept. 21, 2004
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Bird deaths in perspective
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1980s California Wind Farm Older Technology
Higher RPMs Lower Elevations Poorly
Sited Bad News!
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Turbines are noisy, right?

• Older wind turbines are louder. Newer machines
  turn slower and are much quieter
• It is possible to hold a quiet conversation at
  the base of a modern wind turbine
• Go to MMA or Hull and listen!

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Do wind farms impact tourism and property values?

• Yes -- Positively.
• There is NO evidence from
• existing wind facilities anywhere in the world
  (including locations very similar to Cape Cod
  that have offshore turbines) that wind turbines
  have a negative impact on property values or
  tourism.

In fact, the majority of studies conducted after
wind farms have been built show that both tourism
and property values increase!
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Are Wind Turbines Unsafe?

• Not a single passerby has ever been injured by
  wind turbines
• There have been no collisions with turbines by
  any type of vehicle
• Ice shedding is very rare
• When it occurs Ice falls near base of turbine --
  not thrown far distances
• Only one member of the public has been killed by
  a wind turbine (a German parachutist on her first
  solo jump)

Wind turbine at Exhibition Place, Downtown Toronto
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Are the benefits real?

• Back up Power?
• Turbines do not require any new back up
  generation or spinning reserves.
• Emission reductions?
• Wind energy is accepted on the grid before any
  other source when it is available, offsetting the
  need for more polluting sources. Each MWh of wind
  is one less MWh of electricity from a fossil fuel
  plant
• Economics?
• Wind provides long-term price stability and is
  competitive with todays energy costs. Economic
  benefit is realized by whoever buys (and sells)
  the power.

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Economics Jobs
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Does Small Wind Energy Pay?

• Does wind energy have to pay for itself?
• We often buy items of equivalent cost that
  provide no monetary value, and often cost money
  to use
• Off grid customers are looking for least cost
  option (connect to grid, diesel generator,
  solar/wind hybrid, etc..)
• Comparing initial costs is not useful
• Wind has no fuel cost
• Generators are cheaper per kW, but not
  necessarily cheaper at producing energy over the
  entire life
• Youre paying for a wind machine whether you
  want to or not, every time you mail your check to
  the utility. Mike Bergey

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Economic Factors

• Installed Cost
• Operation Maintenance
• Typically 1 cent per kWh
• Financing
• (equivalent to lost interest if paying cash)
• Insurance
• Taxes
• Revenues Savings Sales
• Savings worth more value because not taxed
• Sales may generate taxable income
• RECs may be able to be sold
• Must account for rising cost of electricity
• as it compares to inflation

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Economic Incentives

• Tax Credits
• Tax Exemptions
• Rebates
• Production Incentives Rebates
• Accelerated Depreciation
• Grants Loans
• Net Metering Arrangements
• www.dsireusa.org
• www.masstech.org

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Residential Small Wind Incentives
May 1, 2002
Tax Incentives Buydown
Local Option Tax Incentives
Contact your utility to see if you qualify for
the Renewable Energy Resources Program.
Contact your city or county to see if they offer
tax incentives for small wind systems.
Net Metering Only
Tax Incentives, Net Metering Buydown
Net Metering Buydown
Net Metering Local Option Tax Incentives
Tax Incentives Net Metering
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There are lots of exciting career possibilities

• Developers
• Turbine Technicians
• Manufacturing
• Sales Marketing
• Utility Engineers
• Geophysical Engineers
• Concrete/Structural Engineering
• Turbine Engineering (ME/EE/Aerospace)
• Site/Civil Engineering
• Microelectronic/Computer Programming
• Business Expertise (Financial)
• Legal Expertise
• Meteorologists

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Wind is a homegrown energy that we can harvest
right along side our corn or soybeans or other
crops. We can use the energy in our local
communities or we can export it to other markets.
We need to look carefully at wind energy as a
source of economic growth for our region David
Benson, Farmer and County Commissioner, Nobles
County, Minnesota
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Carpe Ventum!
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