Table of Contents
Summary
Wind power is one of the naturally available source of energy in the community. It is evident that wind happens to be available in most locations across the globe. However, there are great variations in the intensity and speed of the wind across the globe. The areas which have an adequate supply of wind energy may take advantage of the resource to produce electricity. In order to tap the resource to produce electricity, the stakeholders in the community may have to set up a wind firm. Generally, it may require setting wind turbine in an ideal location where they would the wind. Wind is responsible for the conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. Wind rotates the blades which are connected to a generator. The rotation of the blades stimulates the movement of the shaft which is attached to a motor. The motor consists of electro-magnets which are surround by copper coils. The rotation of the shaft result into electromagnetic induction which degenerates into electrical energy. The electrical energy is channeled into transformers which increase the voltage for long distance transmission. Whenever the current reaches fuse boxes and substations, the voltage is lowered to meet the energy needs for domestic and home use. An insight into factors which have a bearing on the quality of wind produced makes it clear that the quality of the wind supplied and nature of blades used could have an impact on the sustainability and the performance of the wind energy system. An effective approach in overcoming the hurdle may entail making an ideal selection of the location for the wind power system. It may also be prudent to make an ideal selection of the blades which would match the wind supply to the location. Such a move will ensure sustainability of the wind power systems and also improve their performance.
Introduction
Energy is a key requirement for the successful completion of most domestic and industrial activities. There are several approaches towards energy generation in the community. Some of the common energy systems in the community include the wind energy systems, the solar energy systems, nuclear energy system, and hydro-electrical energy systems. It is apparent that the different energy systems make use of different approaches for them to generate energy. The wind energy system is of particular importance in this research. It is of one of the most commonly used energy system in the community. Essentially, wind entails the flow of air. The wind power is generated whenever air flows through wind turbines. The rotation of the turbines powers on generators which result into the production of energy. Wind power has served an alternative to power sources such as fossil burning. It merits noting that wind power is always available in plenty and cannot be exhausted. Notably, there is little or no emission of greenhouse gases as a result of the process for producing energy using wind. Scholars have affirmed that the net effects of wind energy systems on the environment are far much less than those which result from the burning of fossil fuels. An insight into the system makes it clear that the wind farms in most of the cases consist of many individual turbines which are connected to the electrical transmission network. It is thus evident that it is utilized in conjunction with the other power sources in the community in the bid to attain a reliable supply of energy. In the cases where the proportion of wind power supply increases, there is a need to upgrade the grid in the attempt attain a reliable supply of electricity to the consumers. It further merits noting that weather forecasting could make it possible to predict the variations in the wind supply which could have an effect on the variations of energy produced. An understanding of the wind energy system would be incomplete without taking into limelight the physical processes, involved in the system in terms of thermodynamics, heat generation, energy losses, and loss transfer. The research aids in the identification and critical analysis of the controlling processes that determine the performance of the wind energy system. It further explores any sustainability and energy performance issues which could present in the system. It also explores a proposition which could possibly help overcome the issues identified in the system.
It is of great essence to have an understanding of the physical processes which are involved in the generation of power from the wind systems. Basically, in order for one to generate electricity from the wind systems, they require to have turbines connected to generators which are eventually connected to a grid system. The wind essentially converts the kinematic energy in the wind to produce electrical energy. It takes place through the use of large wind propellers which are connected to generate to produce electricity. It is apparent that as the wind gaps the turbines, it result in moving the blades and thus spinning the shaft. Horizontal and vertical axes are types of wind turbines in use. The horizontal axis wind turbines contain propellers which have fan-style blades which are used commonly (Xu, Ruan, Mao, Zhang, and Luo 2013). The vertical axis wind turbines on the other hand have an egg-beater style turbine. However, the physical process involved in the generation of electricity are the same. The blades of the wind turbines are responsible for the conversion of energy. An insight into the working of blades makes it clear that there are basically two types of blades, the drag type and the lift type (Zhao, and Rasmussen 2015). In the drag type, they are designed to in such a way that the blades make uses the forces of the wind to push the blades around. It is clear that such blades tend to have a higher torque than the lift type though they are associated with a slower rotating speed. The design of the blade types aimed at generating energy for use in such activities such as crushing and slicing. The slow aspect of their rotation makes it evident that they may not be ideal for generation of large scale energy. An insight into the lift types makes it clear that most modern wind power generating systems make use of their design. It is apparent that both sides of the vanes have wind driven across it which results in the air staying for a relatively lengthier duration of time to travel across the ends. The design makes it possible for the creation of inferior air pressure on the principal edge of the blade and greater compassion is created on the rear end. The differences in the air pressure result into pushing and pulling the blade around which result into the creation of a higher rotation speed which is necessary for the generation of electricity.
An overview of the process that results into the creation of electricity makes it clear that the raceway of the turbines should be connected to a generator. The generator utilizes the turning motion of the shaft to rotate motor which has oppositely arraigned electromagnets and is surrounded by coils of cooper wire. The spinning of the motor results into electromagnetic induction which results into the generation of electricity. It merits noting that the electricity produced by from the power system sought to go through a transformer (Syahputra, Robandi, and Ashari 2014). The transformer plays a critical role in maximizing the voltage along long distance. Consequently the power stations and the fuse frames receive the current and transmute it into low voltage which would be idea for domestic use and businesses.
An insight into the wind power system makes it clear that there are a number of factors which determine the performance of the system in generating electricity. The primary factor which has a significant bearing on the ability of the system to efficiently produce electricity is wind. It is clear that the speed of wind is never constant. It is apparent that the variations in the speed of wind has greatly influences the capacity of the wind farm. In most of the cases, it is evident that the power plans tend to produce below their capacity. The move results into a high degree of variations in the electric power produced. It is clear that the variations could be hourly, daily and in some of the cases they could be seasonal. However, it is clear that in most of the cases, the rate of consumption by domestic and business enterprises in the community tends to be relatively constant. It is thus likely that the variations in the amount of electricity produced could be pose a challenge in balancing the amount of electricity available in the national grid system. In any case, it clear that the demand for electricity in the community has been on a persistent increase. It further merits noting that there challenges associated with the variations in the amount of electricity I the grid system (Wan, Pinson, Dong, and Wong 2014). There are cases when the wind farms have made an attempt tom predict the wind power. However, it is evident that the predication only serve to forecast short term trends in the wind patterns. It is thus evident that it may be relatively tough to rely on wind power for long term planning of the energy needs in for a community.
The second factor which has a great bearing on the amount of energy produced by the wind power firms is the nature of blade strengths, their weight and the general performance of the wind turbines. It is clear that the power output of a wind turbine greatly depends on the efficiency of the blades, the alternator and the dynamo. The power output of bigger and taller turbines is relatively great due to the aspect that wind speeds are greater at higher altitudes. One can possibly enhance the efficiency of the blades by ensuing they face the direction of the wind.
It is apparent that in the cases where there is no reliable supply of wind in the location, and poor choice of blades, then it is likely that the energy supplied would not be sustainable and it would have an implicit effect on the performance of the system. However, an ideal choice of location of the wind power generating system would get a long way in ensuing that the power produced is reliable.
There are a number of approaches which could be ideal in addressing of the limitations which are associated with wind power systems. In the bid to improve on the aspect of wind, it may be of pivotal importance in most of the cases to conduct extensive location of the stations for producing electricity. It is apparent that certain locations in the community tend to have a great supply of wind at a relatively high speed. Such locations would be ideal for setting up a station. Notably, areas which are high altitudes and generally hilly have a better chance in being reliable in terms of setting up wind turbine station. Such a location would be ideal in overcoming the challenges which are associated with variations in the speed of wind and its intensity.
It may be necessary to have a thorough consideration of the nature of blades which are to be used in the wind turbines. It is evident that the design of the turbines has a significant bearing on the amount electricity produced (Wan, Pinson, Dong, and Wong 2014). It is evident that using taller blades may be an ideal approach. It may be prudent to make use of blades which are string in the bid to ensure they can withstand extremely windy conditions. It may also be necessary to undertake a consideration of the weight of the blades. Extremely heavy blades may require wind of the extreme intensity for them to turn round. In such a case, it may be necessary to ensure that the weight corresponds to the intensity of wind in the given location. One should also aim for turbines with can depict a strong performance. A thorough consideration of the performance of the turbines would definitely enhance reliability of the electricity generated.
Conclusion
It is evident that energy is an essential component of running our daily activities whether at our home or even in industrial use. An insight into the energy systems in the community makes it clear that there are various approaches towards the generation of electricity. Some of the common forms of energy systems in the community include hydro-electrical power stations, nuclear power stations and wind power systems. An insight into the wind power systems makes it clear that the system highly relies on wind to generate electricity. An insight on how electricity is produced make it clear that the wind turns the turbines to produce electricity. Wind converts the kinetic energy to electrical energy. Upon turning of the blade, they turn a motor which contains several copper loops. The copper lops are surrounded by strong magnets. The turning of the motor results into the generation of electromagnetic induction which in turn is harnessed to produce electricity. The electricity is channeled to transformers which increase the voltage so to make it possible to transmit the electric current for long distance. In the cases where the power gets to the stations and fuse boxes, the voltage in minimized so that it can serve the domestic needs. An insight into the factors which could have an implicit effect on electricity generation using the approach makes it evident that the supply of wind and the nature of the turbines used could have an implicit effect on the nature energy produced. It merits noting that the above factors may have an implicit effect on the sustainability of the energy system. There are cases where the factors could adversely affect electricity production using the approach. An effective way to improve the above factors may entail making an ideal choice of the location for the wind power systems. A corresponding selection of better blades that match the location could help enhance the sustainability of the power generation system. It is apparent that wind power systems could be an ideal source of electricity. It is undeniable that the energy system is friendly to the environment than other modalities utilized in the production of electricity. It is apparent that there are various challenges associated with using the approach to produce electricity. However, it is one of the best approaches towards meeting the needs of the community in producing electricity.
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