1. Audrey, Henry, Mikey, Daniela, Daniel
Wind Power
Audrey, Henry, Mikey, Daniela, Daniel

2. General description
The use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanical generators for electric power.

3. Diagram of a typical wind turbine

4. Process Wind blows and turns the rotor
Through a gearbox, the spinning turbine turns an electrical generator and generates electricity which can be fed into a storage system or to the electrical grid
Essentially mechanical energy (spinning turbine) turns into electrical energy (electrical generator

5. P=ρπr2v3 Wind power equation ρ=air density r=rotor blade radius
v=wind speed

6. Equation - More Wind power is based on P=1/2*air densidty v=Wind speed
Amount of air
Speed of air
Mass of air
P=1/2*air densidty
v=Wind speed
Cp=Power Coefficient
A (Area swept by rotator)=πr2

7. Advantages Renewable energy resource and no fuel costs
No harmful polluting gases are produced
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 1990, California's wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced. It would take a forest of 90 million to 175 million trees to provide the same air quality.
Cost of installation can be high but it pays itself off with continued usage
Easy to maintain on land

8. Disadvantages Noise produced by the rotor blades
Requires a higher initial investment than fossil fueled generators
The amount of electricity depends on the amount of wind.
No wind - no electricity.
Good wind sites are often located in remote areas far from cities.
Located on land that could be used for farming
Can impact local ecosystems negatively
Visual pollution

9. What conditions are essential for this source to work
Need lots of wind and high wind speeds
Good places for wind farms
Offshore-the sea is relatively smoother than on land due to a lack of buildings, hills, and other obstructions
Tops of hills-land shape constricts the flow of wind and confines its volume, making wind speed rise as the air moves up the hill

10. Approximate efficiency of this energy source
Can convert 45% of wind that passes through the blades
Capacity Factor: average power generated divided by the rated peak power
Average capacity factor for a wind farm in Australia is 35%, and can range from 25% to 45% on any given day.
Although with capacity factors are lower than coal and baseload gas plants, they use their energy source more efficiently resulting in them having a high potential for large-scale electricity supply capabilities.

11. Where is this most commonly found/used?
Top 5 countries that use wind power:
China - 114,763 MW in 2014, which was 31% of global total
United States - 65,879 MW in 2014
Germany - 39,165 MW in 2014, 10% of global total
Spain - 22,987 MW in 2014
India - 22,465 MW in 2014
In general:
Most ideal location is in wide-open and somewhat secluded fields so that there is minimal disturbance and maximized wind potential.

12. “Fun trivia”
They have been used for a long time, even in Persia around 200 B.C.
Large turbine blades can sometimes mess with radars and occasionally can be mistaken for planes
The wind industry needs to pay taxes to their local community which in turn helps the infrastructure of tha tarea
One wind turbine could power up to 500 homes.
Albert Betz is a German physicist who discovered the theory of wind energy in 1919.

13. Works Cited http://www.atlantissolar.com/wind_story.html
s/energy_from_the_sunrev3.shtml df