Wind power for electricity generation

Wind power generation is a hotly debated subject in political, business and legal circles these days. The increased pressure from public to reduce dependence on foreign oil has prompted governments to seek other ways of producing energy and wind power is one being excited discussed as a good alternative. Man-made carbon emissions have spurred a debate on environmental concerns as public worries about global warming and its long-term effects on the planet and hence alternative sources of energy are being exploited with even greater vigor. Wind energy is seen as green energy and it is one of the fastest growing sources of electricity around the world. (Brown & Escobar, 2007)

In the U.S. alone, wind energy is being exploited with immense interest and vigor resulting in the production of more than 12,000 MW of wind energy which can easily provide power to 3 million homes in the country. Had this source not been used, the country would need 40 million barrels of oil per day to have the same amount of electricity. Consumers are now increasingly interested in green sources of energy and even if they have to pay a slightly higher price, they are willing to do so in order to keep the environment cleaner and the planet safer.

Immense potential is seen in many areas of the country including Texas which alone has the capacity to produce 10 GW of wind energy. With increased production, it is expected that wind energy would become cheaper and people will be able to consume it more readily by 2020.

In the United States, wind energy still constitutes only one percent of the total energy supply but it is growing at a rapid rate and is being researched with serious enthusiasm. It all began in 1980s in California when wind farms were built to check the possibility of producing renewable energy. Within the next 20 years, things have changed dramatically as more and more states are willing to build wind farms and some of the largest farms are seen in Texas, California, Kansas and Wyoming. In Texas where the capacity has been astounding, some 2000 wind turbines can be seen and this is likely to grow as interest in renewable sources of energy increases. (Brown & Escobar, 2007)

Proposal for Wind-energy Conversion

While the enthusiasm is immense and benefits numerous, wind energy is still fraught with problems. Apart from the environmental concerns, there is one economic problem as well. Production of wind energy is very costly and hence it may not be easy to convert this power into a consistent energy source in the rural areas where electricity is still a luxury.

For this reason, we have chosen to look into the possibility of wind energy production in rural areas of developing countries since rural areas are mostly without power in many third world countries. The proposal will thus focus on wind energy production in India.

India is a poor nation when it comes to per capita income. Even though it is growing in economic power steadily, the country still has a large population living in rural areas- mostly of who are deprived of power. Thus wind energy exploration has generated immense excitement in the country as it is believed to be a good source of energy that can light up millions of houses in rural areas of India.

But wind production is costly and India needs to find ways to produce wind energy at economical rates. For this reason, skilled technicians and designers are looking into the possibility of cost reduction "by increasing the size, tailoring of turbines for specific sites, exploring new structural dynamic concepts, developing custom generators, and power electronics, in addition to implementing modern control-system strategies." (Orosa, 2010)

It has been found that in order to reduce cost and produce energy more efficiently; some of the important factors to keep in mind would be "the power in the wind, the load factor, wind turbine -- axis orientation, the area required, and the grid connection." (Orosa, 2010)

Solutions are needed in troubled areas. For example when wind power is high, electricity generation is not an issue but when it's low, there may be extended periods of no production at all. A solution is needed for this which has been proposed in the form of change in rotors. One researcher proposed the use of a wind concentrator (Shikha, 2003) while further research looked into the possibility of "phase change of moist air. This recent implementation is based on the Foehn effect and consists of a nozzle, a rotor, and a diffuser designed to get the maximum mechanical energy from the free stream of airflow." (Orosa, 2010) the research finally came up with solution in the form of Savonius rotor which improves wind pressure in areas marked by long periods of low winds.

The most critical factor is the correct use of axis-orientation of turbines. For this reason, technicians and designers have looked into the use of both HAWTs and VAWTs. It has been found that VAWT has more benefits to offer than the traditional HWAT turbine since it can receive winds from all directions. "This simplifies their design and eliminates the problem imposed by gyroscopic forces on the rotor of conventional machines as the turbines yaw into the wind. The vertical axis of rotation also permits mounting the generator and gear at the ground level." (Orosa, 2010)