Wind Technology



Wind Technology

Introduction

This paper discusses technical issues, economics, and history of wind technology. Wind energy is one of the most promising renewable energy to develop because it is closest to economic competitiveness. Development prospects of wind power are now the same order of magnitude as those made of large dams in the 50's, namely to provide 10% of European electricity by 2020.  Wind power generating systems are one of the most useful energy resources using the natural environment; their use is encouraged because of the reduced losses in power system transmission and distribution equipment (Black &Veatch, 2007).

Technical Issues

1. Wind technology save in energy costs for the private sector, business sector and government sectors

Wind power is one of the lowest-priced green renewable energy technologies available today. On average it saves cost by 4-6 cents per kilowatt-hour for private sector, business sector and government sectors, depending on the wind resource base and the financing of the particular project (Sterzinger & Svrcek, 2004). The construction time for wind energy technology is less than for other energy technologies, it uses cost-free fuel, the operation and maintenance cost is very low, and capacity addition can be in modular form, making it adaptable to increasing demand.

2. How Has Using Wind Technology Changed?

For centuries, wind power has been used to provide mechanical work. The best known example is the windmill used by the miller for the transformation of wheat into flour; it can also be made ??of many windmills used for the draining of polders in Holland. Facilities without energy storage meant that the energy requirement and the presence of wind energy are simultaneous. Control of energy storage in batteries has to store this energy and use it without the presence of wind, this type of installation involving only domestic needs, not applied to industry (David, 1994).

3. Who Currently Uses Wind Technology?

Ends of 2010, 193 GW (billion watts) of wind power are installed worldwide. In 2010, China invested $ 63 billion in wind energy, the U.S. $ 18 billion. The growth of investment in wind power was 34% in 2010. As for power, it increased by 22% in 2010 (35.8 GW). Countries interested in the development of wind energy are still in the first phase of investment (commissioning of wind farms that did not exist before) (Laxson & Hand, 2006). 



4. Types of Equipment Being Used?

The wind turbine consists of several parts of a general outline of how the turbine is given by the following figure:

Rotor Blades: This is where the rotary motion is produced by the wind.

Axis: Responsible for transmitting rotary motion.

Gearbox or Multiplier: Responsible for changing the frequency of rotation of the shaft to a smaller or larger depending on the case as to give the generator a frequency appropriate to this work.

Generator: This is where the mechanical movement of the rotor is converted into electrical energy. In addition to these basic components are required other components for efficient and correct operation of the turbine based on the quality of electric service emerged, some of them are:

Electronic controller, which ...