Susan Reyes KidWind Senator & Event Coordinator Science & Sustainability Educator

WIND BASICS

AIR IS SOMETHING

Properties of Air Has mass Takes up space Hot air rises Cooler air falls Air pressure and temperature are dependent on: location on the earth the season

WIND IS MOVING AIR The sun shines on the Earth’s atmosphere and heats its surfaces. As air heats it rises, the molecules in the air spread out because the air is light. Cooler air falls; its particles are denser and so the air is heavier. As the warm air rises, cooler air fills in the space. This process of warming and cooling air placement is called convection and this is what causes the air to move. Moving air is wind. MOVING AIR IS SOLAR POWERED!

The Wind in Nature Carry scent Shape hunting and defensive strategies Distribute seeds and arthropods Move objects Help shape topography and can be affected by topography Spread wildfires Act as an energy resource to generate electricity

Measurements are a Breeze Wind VaneWindsock Anemometer

ENERGY BASICS In a most basic sense, energy is the ability of a force to perform work or to organize or change matter.

ENERGY FORMS & TRANSFORMATIONS Forms of Energy  Mechanical-Kinetic  Radiant  Electrical  Chemical  Nuclear  Heat What transformations occur in these systems? Energy occurs in many forms and is classified as either potential energy (stored) or kinetic energy (in motion) and is converted from one form to another.

I’M SOLAR POWERED! Where do YOU get your energy to live, move, work & play? Activity: Trace energy transformations from the sun to examples of food, such as a slice of pizza.

Sources of New York State Energy Approximately 13% of New York energy needs are met instate through a variety of energy resources: Coal (13 coal plants) Nuclear (6 power plants), Crude oil (production is at 0.1%) Natural gas (production is at 4.7%) Hydro-electric (28 large and 340 small plants contributing 6%) Wind* (20 wind farms contributing less than 1%). Reference: 2009 Pattern and Trends Report of New York State Energy Profiles for , NYSERDA, 2009 Reference*: American Wind Energy Association, 2009 figures of current wind energy projects.

US Electricity Sources KidWind Project |

Holland & Colonial America First documented windmill: Afghanistan (900AD) Greece WIND ENERGY TECHNOLOGY THROUGH THE AGES: Wind Pumper

Modern Wind Turbines Visit for a field trip!

Small Electricity Generating Wind Turbines Technically Advanced Minimal Moving Parts Low Maintenance Requirements Proven: ~ 5,000 On-Grid American Companies are the Market and Technology Leaders 10 kW 50 kW 400 W 900 W (Not to scale) Downwind Rotor Upwind Rotors

Yawing – Facing the Wind Passive Yaw (Most small turbines) Wind forces alone direct rotor Tail vanes Downwind turbines 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

Over-Speed Protection During High Winds Upward Furling: The rotor tilts back during high winds Angle Governor: The rotor turns up and to one side

Large Wind Turbines 450’ base to blade Each blade 112’ Span greater than tons total Foundation 20+ feet deep Rated at 1.5 – 5 megawatt Supply at least 350 homes Upwind rotors Turn slowly & gear up Braking system

The Electrical Generator A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy through electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction occurs when a coil of wire experiences a changing magnetic field, which causes a voltage to be induced in the coil Inside a large hydropower turbine

KidWind Project |

Rotor Solidity Solidity is the ratio of total rotor planform area to total swept area Low solidity (0.10) = high speed, low torque High solidity (>0.80) = low speed, high torque A R a Solidity = 3a/A

ISSUES TODAY: COSTS & BENEFITS

Fighting windmills has a long history! Don Quixote fighting “Giants”

Accidents & Troubles KidWind Project | “So far no evacuation zone has been declared. There are no threats to sea life, and the fallout from the disaster was not detectable thousands of miles away. Cleanup efforts are in progress, and will not include covering the area in a giant concrete dome. No workers have been asked to give their lives in order to save their countrymen from the menace of this fallen wind turbine.” – Christopher Mims

Impacts of Wind Power: Noise Modern turbines are relatively quiet Rule of thumb – stay about 3x hub-height away from houses

Impacts of Wind Power: Wildlife

In the Audubon Magazine, John Flicker, President of National Audubon Society, wrote a column stating that Audubon "strongly supports wind power as a clean alternative energy source," pointing to the link between global warming and the birds and other wildlife that scientist say it will kill.

1980’s California Wind Farm Older Technology + Higher RPMs + Lower Elevations + Lattice Towers + Poorly Sited = Bad News! Prospecting the Right Site: Lessons Learned

Off-Shore On the Farm On a Mountain

KidWind Project | Where is the Wind?

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 V X V X V 20% increase in wind speed means 73% more power Doubling wind speed means 8 times more power

Calculation of Wind Power Power in the wind Power in the wind – Effect of swept area, A – Effect of wind speed, V – Effect of air density,  Swept Area: A = πR 2 Area of the circle swept by the rotor (m 2 ). Power in the Wind = ½ρAV 3 R

Maintenance KidWind Project |

Wind Energy is a Growing Industry US total installed wind energy capacity now over 43,635 MW as of Sept 2011 per WindPoweringAmerica.com Enough electricity to power the equivalent of over 7 million households!

Costs are Decreasing 1979: 40 cents/kWh Increased Turbine Size R&D Advances Manufacturing Improvements NSP 107 MW Lake Benton wind farm 4 cents/kWh (unsubsidized) 2004: 3 – 4.5 cents/kWh 2000: cents/kWh

Wind Energy in the Classroom

ELEMENTARY: Build Skills in Science & Engineering Practices OBSERVE, EXPERIMENT, EVALUATE & APPLY Gain understanding of explanations – reflect & discuss Learn content in many connected topic areas

Many Topics Addressed KidWind Project | Forces Cause Change Energy Transformations (Forms of Energy) Circuits/Electricity/Magnetism Properties of Air Weather Patterns Renewable – Non Renewable Energy

Activities Wind Sails – Engineering is Elementary Wind Chimes & Art Weather vanes & Anemometers Animals & the Wind Visit wind turbines & wind farms “Air is There” Demos Create electrical generators Design simple blades and rotors for electrical & lifting turbines Compete in turbine contests

Upper Elementary/Middle Building Wind Turbines Assessing Wind Resource Mathematics balloon streamers Kite or balloon string ~3m

Wind Turbine Blade Challenge Students perform experiments and design different wind turbine blades Use simple wind turbine models Test one variable while holding others constant Record performance with a multimeter or other load device Goals: Produce the most voltage, pump the most water, lift the most weight Minimize Drag Maximize LIFT Harness the POWER of the wind!

Scientific & Engineering Practices NRC’s New National Frameworks & Achieve’s New Generation Science Standards 1. Asking questions & defining problems 2. Developing & using models 3. Planning & carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing & interpreting data 5. Using mathematics & computational thinking 6. Developing explanations & designing solutions 7. Engaging in argument from evidence 8. Obtaining, evaluating & communicating information

KidWind Project | KidWind.org The KidWind Project is a team of teachers, students, engineers and practitioners exploring the science behind wind energy in classrooms around the US. Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to the elegance of wind power through hands-on science activities which are challenging, engaging and teach basic science principles. RESOURCES:

KidWind Project | KidWind KidWind and Wind Wise Web Sites Free Downloads -- Wind Wise – Math Lessons NEW On-Line Turbine Design Competition KidWind store – good prices: great stuff KidWind Competitions Utica Area Competition: Contact Ray Pitcher: Western Massachusetts Event: Contact Susan Reyes:

KidWind Project |

Wind Wisdom for School Power…Naturally Guides for K-4 and 4 – 6 Provides: an introduction to the technology involved in clean, renewable wind energy; a context for teaching scientific principles related to energy transformations, electricity, and light, which are central to many clean energy technologies. a natural segue to environmental, ecological, social and human health studies in a variety of topics such as climate change, ecological foot-printing, and carbon foot-printing. DOWNLOAD IT: Google “Wind Wisdom for School Power...”; search at or go to UMass STEM Ed website.

Exploring Wind Energy in New York State U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) American Wind Energy Association New York State Energy & Development Authority & AWS Truewind, LLC htm Kid Wind & WindWise Gr

KEEP SAFETY FIRST Protect eyes with goggles where there are moving parts or LED use. Don’t fly kites near electrical wires. Do not allow anyone to stand in the plane of rotation of the model turbine blades since they can come off. Secure fans & keep fingers out of fans and turbine blades. Check for hazards at field trip sites prior to going. Consider other hazards, take precautions, and educate students on how to stay safe.

Susan Reyes Science & Sustainability Educator KidWind Senator KidWind Event Coordinator – Western Massachusetts UMASS Amherst STEM Ed Ray Pitcher Technology Education Educator KidWind Senator KidWind Event Coordinator – Utica Acknowledgements: This workshop is organized by the UMASS Amherst STEM Ed Institute Primary Grant funding through the Utica Public School System Donations of some parts, prizes and support from KidWind CONTACTS