Wind is the result of the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun and the fact that temperatures will always be trying to reach an equilibrium (heat is always moving to a cooler area). With the rising price of energy and the damage to the environment from fossil fuels, it is more and more equitable to harvest this renewable resource.

The benefits of wind energy are that it is virtually free (once you purchase the equipment) and there’s no pollution. The disadvantages include the fact that it isn’t a consistent source (the speed varies and many times it is insufficient to make electricity) and it typically requires about one acre of land.

How Wind Energy Works

The volume of power that can be found varies by wind speed. The total amount available is termed it’s power density and it’s measured in watts per square meter. That is why, the U.S. Department of Energy has separated wind energy into classes from 1 to 7. The average wind speed for class 1 is 9.8 mph or less while the average for a class 7 is 21.1 or even more. For effective power production, class 2 winds (11.5 mph average speed) are frequently required.

Usually, wind speeds increase as you get higher above the Earth. For that reason, the typical wind generator is installed on a tower no less than 30 feet above obstructions. There are 2 basic types of towers employed for residential wind power systems (free standing and guyed). Free standing towers are self supporting and are usually heavier which means they take special equipment (cranes) to place them. Guyed towers are supported on a concrete base and anchored by wires for support. They typically are not as heavy and most manufacturer’s produce tilt down models which is often easily raised and lowered for maintenance.

The kinetic (moving energy) from the winds is harnessed by a device known as the turbine. This turbine includes airfoils (blades) that capture the power of the wind and use it to turn the shaft of an alternator (like you have on a car only bigger).

There are 2 basic kinds of blades (drag style and lifting style). We all have seen pictures of old-fashioned windmills with the large flat blades which are a good example of the drag style of airfoil. Lifting style blades are twisted rather than flat and resemble the propellor of a small airplane.

A turbine is classified as to whether it is built to be installed with the rotor in a horizontal or vertical position and whether the wind strikes the blades or the tower first. A vertical turbine typically requires less land for it’s installation and is a better option for the more urban areas worldwide. An upwind turbine is created for the wind to impact the airfoils before it does the tower.

Residential Wind Turbine

These units normally have a tail on the turbine which is required to maintain the unit pointed into the wind. A downwind turbine does not require a tail as the wind acting on the blades tends to maintain it oriented properly.

These turbine systems would be damaged if they were to be allowed to turn at excessive speeds. Therefore, units should have automatic over-speed governing systems. Some systems use electrical braking systems while some use mechanical type brakes.

The output electricity from the alternator is sent to a controller which conditions it for use in the home. The usage of residential wind power systems requires the home to either remain tied to the utility grid or store electricity in a battery for use when the wind will not blow sufficiently.

When the home is linked with the grid, the excess electricity that is created by the residential wind power system can be sold to the utility company to reduce and sometimes even eliminate your utility bill. During times with not enough wind, the home is supplied power from the utility company.

Wind Scheme Grid Tied

The Price of Wind Energy

Small residential wind power turbines can be an attractive alternative, or addition, to those people needing more than 100-200 watts of power for their home, business, or remote facility. Unlike PV’s, which stop at basically a similar cost per watt independent of array size, wind generators get less expensive with increasing system size. At the 50 watt size level, for instance, a small residential power wind mill would cost about $8.00/watt when compared with approximately $6.00/watt for a Photo voltaic module.

That is why, everything being equal, PV is more affordable for very small loads. As the system size gets larger, however, this “rule-of-thumb” reverses itself.

At 300 watts the wind mill costs are down to $2.50/watt, while the PV costs are still at $6.00/watt. For a 1,500 watt wind system the cost is down to $2.00/watt and at 10,000 watts the cost of a wind generator (excluding electronics) is down to $1.50/watt.

Mary Jones

To the readers of the Way to Go Green org Blog; this is a quest post by Mary Jones, who we thank very much for offering to guest post for us and we invite you all to visit her nice blog.

Who am I ? – Mary Jones writes for the residential wind power systems weblog, her personal hobby blog centered on tips to reduce Carbon dioxide and lower power costs using alternative power sources.

If you wish to read my complete Bio: http://www.residentialwindturbines.org/about

Do you consider Wind Power Stocks?  This industry has proven itself and the bugs have mostly been worked out.  Is it time now to see profits soar?

The future of a renewable power resource, wind power, is on the rise. This green, natural source of energy has always been around. In the last seven years the wind industry has grown over 482%. With no end to this rise insight experts expect this renewable power industry to grow another 215% in just the next five years.

The world is becoming more aware of the environment and this is a powerful renewable source of clean energy the world will be able to depend on for years to come.

For business, this is also a source of ever increasing profits. In the year 2008 alone over $30 billion of wind generated revenues were recorded.  Every year this will go up and is expected to reach $90 billion by the year 2018.

The profit potential is as explosive as the great effect on the environment. With Europe planning on one third of all new power plants being from wind power and the United States Department of Energy’s aim of have 20% of this countries power being generated from wind, your investment in wind power stocks could possibly soar.

For those interested look at the stocks of Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon and Nordex in Europe. In America the major wind turbine manufacturers are General Electric and Siemens. But there are smaller companies that will take off like NACEL.

As with all investments do your homework and make the final decision yourself. But wind power stocks represent a green renewable energy source that will always be around.  The decision is yours to invest in green stocks.

Cascade Engineering has entered the renewable energy market with Wind Power for the Office and Home, and help from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The state funded group has assisted this Grand Rapids plastic company to develop and test out its roof top wind energy system called the Swift Wind Turbines. The fans that turn the turbines were developed with not only the purpose of providing power but doing it as quietly as possible.

On February 20, 2009 Meijer announce it was planning to install 6 of Cascade Swift Wind Turbines on top of it corporate office.  With additional plans to add smaller turbines at two other locations as soon as zoning approval is obtained.

The demand is increasing for the Swift Wind Turbines with local area clients like the Franciscan sisters of the Eucharist in Vergennes Township, schools and residents. One already is installed and working on the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts in Muskegon. Cascade is expecting to install over 60 units of the Swift Wind Turbine in the next few months according to a company spokesman.

The cost to install each turbine is between $10,000 and $12,000. Each turbine can produce up to 2,000 kilowatts an hour.  This 8-foot fan blade has a life expectancy of 20 years and utilizes wind efficiently between 8 to 40 mph.

Another advantage is the tax breaks that were included in the $787 billion federal stimulus package pass earlier this year and signed by President Obama. There was a 30% investment credit for renewable energy spending. To be sure you qualify contact you local governmental official of a tax expert before investing.

Reference:
Michiganadvantage.org

A few years ago I had the great pleasure of working at the Maple Ridge Wind Turbine Project for some Wind Power Companies that have a Joint Venture operation.

I was employed by an area Crane company to work as a Safety Inspector monitoring the setup and operation of the crane as well as OSHA safety monitoring of the contractor’s employees while working on a site-wide blade modification and repair project.

Dawn at Maple Ridge Wind Farm

The Maple Ridge Wind Power Companies Project consists of 195 wind turbines on the Tug Hill Plateau of Lewis County, just west of Lowville, New York. Each of these wind turbines generate 1.65 MW of electrical power and consist of a 262 foot tall tubular steel tower; with a 269 foot diameter rotor; and a nacelle (turbine housing) which contains the generator, the transformer, and power train. The towers have a base diameter of approximately 15 feet and a top diameter of 8 feet.

The tower is topped by the nacelle, which is approximately 9 feet high and 25 feet long, and connects with the rotor hub. The rotor consists of three 134-foot long composite blades. With a rotor blade oriented in the 12 o’clock position, each turbine has a maximum height of approximately 400 feet.

Crane Setup

This blade modification project was engineered to create tiny little differences in the way the air turbulence around the blades was changed just enough to smooth out some vibration, thereby increasing efficiency.

Crane Extended Horizontal at Ground Level

Two workers would go into the basket at ground level with all of their tools and an electrical power supply. The blade would be rotated into position from ground controls and then locked in place by a worker inside the nacelle.

Going Up !

Crane Extended to Blade Tip

Crane Extended Side View

A combination of radio communications and hand signals kept the workers in constant contact with the crane operator and ground safety personnel.

About the Tug Hill Plateau:
Tug Hill is in many respects the ideal location for New York’s largest wind energy project. This site consists of approximately 12,000 acres of hilltop pasture and feed-crop land at an average elevation of 1600-1800 feet. Tug Hill is an ancient geologic formation that lies just downwind of the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, separated from the Adirondacks to the east by the Black River Valley. At a maximum elevation of 2000 feet above sea level, the Tug Hill plateau experiences strong lake-effect weather patterns and has long been known for its exceptional wind resource

From the Top

Maple Ridge

Workers Up

Turbine Information:
Modern wind turbine generators are robust, sophisticated high-tech machines designed to convert the power of the wind into electricity.
Main Components: The tower, the nacelle (machine house atop the tower), and the rotor
Height of Flat Rock Wind Turbine Towers: 260 feet
Rotor Blade Length: 130 feet
Rotor Blade Speed: 14 RPM (revolutions per minute)

One of the tasks for this project was to raise two workers up in a man basket to reach to tip of the blade, and then an area was sanded and special anti-vibration strips of airfoil plastic were attached with special adhesives. Each of the 565 blades were modified as well as other field service repairs during this project.

Detail of Strip

Note the man in the distance up on top of the neighboring nacelle.

Looking Down

Note that one of those heavy duty service trucks would easily fit inside one of the nacelles on top of the tower. All of the photographs from the ground were taken by me as well as several of the ones from up on top were taken by me. It was not my job to go up, but who could resist such a fabulous opportunity in life? Better than any amusement park ride and I am glad I did it.

How Electricity Leaves the Turbine, Bringing Us Wind Power for Homes:
Electricity from each 1.65 MW wind turbine generator is fed through numerous 34.5-kilovolt power underground cables that come together at the wind farm substation near Rector Road. These cables channel the electricity via a step-up transformer and dedicated ten-mile power line into the New York electricity grid at the 230-kilovolt Niagara Mohawk Adirondack line, feeding power to towns and cities across New York’s North Country and beyond. Sophisticated computer control systems run constantly to ensure that the machines are operating efficiently and safely.

Pollution Offset:
The American Wind Energy Association estimates that 1 MW of wind generation capacity is the equivalent of 1 square mile of new forest, in terms of offsetting or displacing carbon dioxide from conventional generating sources. This makes the Maple Ridge Wind Farm Project equal to approximately 321 square miles of forest CO2 displacement. The many Wind Power Companies in the North East are truly helping to bring us Wind Power for Homes.

When you consider that an average household power use in 24 hours is about 2 kilowatts, this wind farm is equivalent to powering 160,000 homes. I like to think of it in this way, every time those blades are turning around, we are that much less dependent upon foreign oil price gouging.

Power Distribution to the People:
To the large amount of people that protest the power distribution of these type projects, I say, suck it up. It is for the greater good. Power lines running through or near your property are just a fact of life. Get over it. We need every type of alternate energy that we are able to harness. Do your part.