Chris Santos, Sean Tegeder, and Christine Zaky7A

Wind Power

*A natural source of energy.*A power source that a essential part of the weather.*Wind is moving air.*Wind is invisible but we can still feel its force.*Wind is a form of solar energy, this is because it is caused by uneven heating in the atmosphere.

What is Wind?

*Wind is all around us.

The best places for wind farms are: *Coastal Areas*Tops of Rounded Hills*Open Plains*Gaps and Mountains

Where is Wind?

*Wind is a free source, so wind farms need no fuel.*It produces no waste or greenhouse gases.*The land beneath can usually still be used

for farming.*Wind farms can be tourist attractions.*A good method of supplying energy to

remote areas.*Wind energy is also a renewable source.

Advantages of Wind Energy

*The wind is not always predictable. The force varies.*Suitable areas for wind farms are usually near the coast,

where land is very expensive.*Wind turbines are dangerous for birds. Migrating birds

tend to like strong winds.*Can affect television reception.*When wind turbines are being manufactured, some

pollution is produced.*The cost of wind turbines are very high. Wind turbines in

2007 ranged from 1.4 million dollars.*This can be very noisy.

These disadvantagescankeepwind power from widespread use.

Disadvantages of Wind Energy

*Wind turbines change kinetic energy into mechanical energy.*With mechanical energy you can do

certain tasks, such as pumping water.*Then a generator can change mechanical

energy into electricity to power homes, schools, businesses etc.

How do you use wind energy

Parts of the Wind Turbine*Anemometer: measures wind speed and transmits wind speed data

to a controller. *Blades: Wind moves over it and causes the blades to rotate.*Rotor: The blades and hub together.*Tower: The tower is make from tubular steel, concrete, steel lattice.*Brake: A disc brake to stop the rotor in emergencies.*Wind Vane- measures wind direction and communicates with the

yaw drive.

Parts of the Wind Turbine*Controller: starts and shuts off the machines.

*Gear box: gears connects the low speed shaft to the high speed shaft to increase the rotational speeds.*Generator: produces 60- cycle AC electricity.*High speed shafts: drives the generator.*Low speed shafts: rotor turns on the low speed

shaft at about 30-60 rpm.*Yaw drive: used to keep the rotor facing into the

wind as the wind direction changes.

*Wind Turbines

*http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wind/wind_how.html*The shape of the blade causes the wind pressure

to be uneven. This causes the blade to spin generating electricity.*The blades connect to a shaft that rotates 18 RPM.*The shaft is connected to gears that rotate 1800

RPM.

How the wind turbine works

How Wind Power is Renewed and stored

*Wind power is renewed easily because it comes from wind which is a natural source of energy and it is naturally replenished everyday.

HOW IS IT STORED?*Batteries- hold electricity produced even if the turbine is not

running. It is stored instead of going directly to power lines.*Compressed Air- energy generated from the turbines is then

converted into compressed air. This is stored in above ground tanks and underground caverns.

Types of Wind Turbines*Vertical Axis Wind turbines ( VAWT)-*Has the main rotor shaft arranged vertically.*Does not need to be pointed to the wind.*The generator and other components can be placed

near the ground so the tower doesn’t need to support it.

*Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)-* It has the main rotor shaft and electrical generator at

the top of the tower.*They must be facing the wind.

Costs and Concerns

*The costs and concerns of wind turbines keep it from widespread use.

CostsThe costs for a commercial wind turbine in

2007 ranged from 1.2 million dollars to 2.6 million dollars per MW.

The price has dropped in the past 10 years, but it still costs a lot. 80% is machinery and 20% is site preparation and installation.

*Wind energy in 2007 was 1% of the United States energy.*The leading country to produce the most

wind energy is Germany, followed by Spain, then the U.S.A.*74,000 megawatts is the capacity of wind

farms in the world.*Blades measure on average to be 130

feet.*Wind is named after the direction from

which it comes.*It follows global and seasonal patterns.

Fun Facts

REVIEW*What are two ways wind energy can be stored?Batteries and Compressed Air.*Why is wind energy easily replenished?Wind is a natural source of energy that occurs everyday.*What are two types of wind turbines?Horizontal axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbine.*Where are the best places for wind farms? (name at least

two)Coastal areas, tops of rounded hills, open plains, gaps and

mountains.*Wind is a form of ______ energy and is caused by _______

heating in the atmosphere.

Bibliography*"Centurion Energy." , LLC. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://centurionenergy.net/>. * "EERE: Energy Savers Home Page." EERE: Energy Savers Home Page. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. http://www.energysavers.gov.*"Energy Resources: Wind Power." Andy Darvill's Science Site: Home. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/wind.htm.* Parker, Steve. Wind Power. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2004. Print.*Wind Energy Basics." Wind Energy EIS Public Information Center. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. http://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/index.cfm.*"A Design and Technology Site." A Design and Technology Site. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.technologystudent.com>.