Wind Power

History

•Humans have been using

wind as a form of power

for over 5000 years.

•The earliest known form of wind power was

used by the Ancient Egyptians.

History

• The first windmills date back to the early 1100s in the middle east.

• Holland is home to some of the oldest windmills in the world.

• The earliest windmills were used to grind grain.

• First windmill used to generate electricity in the US was installed in 1890.

Modern Technology

Horizontal Axis Wind turbine

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Wind Turbines

How it Works

How it Works

Pros and Cons of Wind power

Cons

• The wind doesn’t always blow

• Limited building locations

• Power Storage is limited

• Expensive to install

Pros•Clean•Renewable•Saves fossil fuels•Payoff over-time•Least expensive source of electric power

Facts

The Wind power capacity in the United States

has seen a 400% increase over the last 5

years, with over 24000MW as of 2008 and is

expected to grow by another 8,500MW in

2009.

Source: http://www.windpowerexpo.org/

Facts

•Off-shore wind farms can generate 50-70%

more power then land based wind farms.

•Wind speeds on the open ocean is 30-40%

higher then on land.

•Wind speeds near shore are 25-20% higher then

on land.

•The US has the largest offshore wind farm

potential of any other country in the world.

Facts

• The largest offshore wind-farm in the world

is located in Great Britain.

• Its 54 turbines have a capacity of 194MW,

enough to power 130,000 homes.

•Steel foundation tubes were hammered 25

meters into the chalk below sea floor.

Should I get one?

Who should consider buying a wind turbine?• Persons with property size of one acre or more.

• Persons who have at least a 10 mph average wind speed and are paying 10 cents/kWh or more for electricity

How much does a wind system cost? • A small turbine can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $22,000.

How reliable are wind turbines? Will I have to perform much maintenance? • Most small turbines have very few moving parts and do not require any

regular maintenance. They are designed for a long life (up to 20 years) and operate completely automatically.

How do wind turbines perform as an investment? • The wind system will usually recoup its investment through utility savings

within six to fifteen years.

For more information visit http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html#savememoney

Interesting Ideas

The Anara Tower - Dubai

The ‘Bahrain World Trade Centre

Sources

• http://www.windmillworld.com/windmills/history.htm

• Patel, Mukund R. (2006). Wind and Solar Power Systems. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group.

• http://science.howstuffworks.com/wind-power2.htm

• http://ecotality.com/life/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/vertical_wind.jpg

• http://www.alibaba.com/product/it101322029-101683704-100658133/WIND_GENERATOR_HORIZONTAL_AND_VERTICAL_AXIS.html

• http://www.bwebcentral.com/blog/1/1118

• http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html

• http://www.windpowerexpo.org/

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/08/wind-power