ABSTRACTWind energy is rapidly growing. In 2006 the installed generating capacity in the world increased by 25%, a growth rate which has more or less been sustained during the last decade. And there is no reason to believe that this growth will slow significantly in the coming years. For example, the United Kingdom's goal for installed wind turbines by2020 is 33 GW up from 2 GW in 2006, an average annual growth rate of 22% over that period. More than half of all turbines are installed in Europe, but United States, India, China and lately Egypt are also rapidly growing markets. The cradle of modernwind energy was set by innovative blacksmithsin the Denmark. Now the wind provides more than 20% of the electrical power in Denmark, the industry has professionalized and has close ties with public research at universities. This focus issue is concerned with research in wind energy. The main purposes of research in wind energy are to:

decrease the cost of power generated by the wind

ii

increase the reliability and predictability of the energy source

investigate and reduce the adverse environmental impact of massive deployment of wind turbines

build research based educations for wind energy engineers

A brief discussion of this development is presented, and the operating and design principles are discussed. Alternative designsfor wind turbines, wind mills and wind pumps that must be considered are briefly compared.Development of a wind energy system and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The assessment of wind power station economics and latest to be mentioned is wind energy environmental effects.

TABLE OF CONTENETS

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................................. iiList of figures and tables. ................................................................................................................................iii1

iii

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Motivation .............................................................................................................................................. 12 BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Definition...................................................................................................................................................2 2.2 History of wind energy....................................................................................................................... 33 DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................................................................3 3.1 Wind Turbines ..........................................................................................................................................3 3.1.1 Wind Turbines Types..................................................................................................................... 4 3.1.2 Turbine Components........................................................................................................................4 3.2

iv

Windmill ......................................................................................................................................................5 3.2.1 Types of Windmills:..........................................................................................................................5 3.3 Wind Pumps ..............................................................................................................................................6 3.3.1 Components ........................................................................................................................................64 Pros and Cons: ......................................................................................................................................................75 Government Actions ..........................................................................................................................................86 ECONOMICS OF WIND ENERGY ...................................................................................................................87 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ..........................................................................................................................98 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................................109 Recommendation ..............................................................................................................................................11

v

10 References…………………………………………………………………………………………………...................12

vi

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

List of FiguresFigure . Wind energy ........................................................................................................................................2

Figure the wind turbine shapes [3] ……………………………………………………………………………4

Figure Windmill [4] …………………………………………………………………………………………………..5

Figure 4 Wind pump [6]………………………………………………………………………………………………6

List of TablesTable advantages and disadvantages of wind energy …………………………………………………7

vii

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose [1]

As the rising temperature of the earth has posed a threat to our environment, everyone is talking about going environment friendly by using green energy, and other clean sources of energy.Going in the same line, green energy comesfrom natural resources and differs from fossil fuels in that it is naturally replenished and so will never run out. There are four main types of renewable energy, also known as green energy, which are; solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass. Thus, wind is a form of solar energy. Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, androtation of the earth. Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth's terrain, bodies of water, and vegetative cover. This wind flow, or motion energy, when

1

"harvested" by modern wind turbines, can be used to generate electricity.

1.2Motivation [1]

This report is motivated by the need to convince people with wind energy, as the amount of pollution in our planet has increased to a dangerous limit, causing the extinction of some animals and the near extinction of some other animals and also causing huge disturbance in the natural balance.

2

Figure 1. Wind energy .

2 BACKGROUND

2.1Definition [2]

Wind energy is a renewable resource ofenergy, so no matter how much is used today, there will still be the same supply in the future. Wind energy is also a source of clean, non-polluting,electricity by conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy,

3

such as using: wind turbines to make electrical power, windmills for mechanical power, wind pumps for waterpumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships.

2.2History of wind energy [2]

The first known use was in 5000 BC when people used sails to navigate theNile River. Persians had already been using windmills for 400 years by 900 AD in order to pump water and grind grain. Wind power is the. Wind-poweredpumps drained the polders of the Netherlands, and in arid regions such as the American mid-west or the Australian outback, wind pumps provided water for live stock and steam engines. With the development ofelectric power, wind power found new applications in lighting buildings remote from centrally-generated power.Today wind powered generators operate in every size range between tiny plants for battery charging at isolated residences, up to near-giga watt sized offshore wind farms that

4

provide electricity to national electrical networks.

3 DESCRIPTION

3.1 Wind Turbines [3]A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind,also called wind energy, into mechanical energy; a process known as wind power. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called wind turbine or wind power plant.

5

3.1.1 Wind Turbines Types

Modern wind turbines fall into twobasic groups; the horizontal-axis variety, like the traditional farm windmills used for pumping water, andthe vertical-axis design. Most large modern wind turbines are horizontal-axis turbines.

3.1.2 Turbine Components Horizontal turbine components include: blade or rotor, which converts

the energy in the wind to rotational shaft energy.

drive train, usually including a gearbox and a generator.

a tower that supports the rotor and drive train.

Other equipments

6

Figure 2 the wind turbine shapes [3]

3.2Windmill [4]

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energyby means of vanes called sails. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history, thewindmill machinery was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important non-milling use is to pump water, either for land drainage or to extract groundwater.

7

3.2.1 Types of Windmills:

There are two types of wind machinesused today: horizontal–axis windmachines and vertical-axis windmachines. Most windmills are thehorizontal-axis type. One windmachine can produce 1.5 to 4.0million kilowatt hours (kWh) ofelectricity a year. That is enoughelectricity for to power 150-400homes.

Figure 3 Windmill [4].

3.3Wind Pumps [5]

A wind pump is a windmill used for pumping water, either as a source of

8

fresh water from wells, or for draining low-lying areas of land.

3.3.1 Components:

To construct a wind pump, the bladedrotor needs to be matched to the pump. With non-electric wind pumps, high solidity rotors are best used in conjunction with positive displacement (piston) pumps, because, single-acting piston pumps need about three times as much torque to start them as to keep themgoing. Low solidity rotors, on the other hand, are best used with centrifugal pumps, water ladder pumps and chain and washer pumps, where the torque needed by the pump for starting is less than that needed for running at design speed. Low solidity rotors are best used ifthey are intended to drive an electricity generator; which in turncan drive the pump.

9

Figure 4 Wind pump [6].

4 Pros and Cons:

Table 1 represents a simple comparisonbetween the advantages and disadvantages ofWind Energy.

Disadvantages AdvantagesMany people feel that the countryside should be leftuntouched, without these large structures being built. The landscape should left in its naturalform for everyone to enjoy

Remote areas that are not connected to the electricity power grid can use wind turbines toproduce their own supply.

The strength of the wind is not constant and it varies from zero to storm force. This means that wind turbines do not produce the same amount ofelectricity all the time. There will be times when they produce no

Wind turbines are a great resource to generate energy in remote locations, such as mountain communities and remote countryside. Wind turbines can be a range of different sizesin order to support

10

electricity at all. varying population levels.

Wind turbine construction can be very expensive and costly to surrounding wildlife during the build process.

Once the wind turbine isbuilt the energy it produces does not cause green house gases or other pollutants.

Wind turbines are noisy. Each one can generate the same level of noise as a family car travelling at 70 mph.

When combined with solarelectricity, this energysource is great for developed and developingcountries to provide a steady, reliable supply of electricity.

Wind turbines generally produce allot less electricity than the average fossil fuelled power station, requiring multiple wind turbines to be built in order to make an impact.

The wind is free and with modern technology it can be captured efficiently.

Table 1 advantages and disadvantages of wind energy [6].

5 Government ActionsWind energy has expanded greatly in recent years. This expansion is largely due to political backing brought forth by both

11

Federal and State governments. Governments have seen wind energy as an energy source that is both environmentally friendly and as a way to revitalize economies in rural areas that have been lagging in recent decades. This section will discuss the environmental and economic impacts of wind energy and the legislative efforts at both the Federal leveland in the State of Illinois that have encouraged this expansion.

6 ECONOMICS OF WIND ENERGY [7]

There are many factors contributing to the cost and productivity of a wind plant .For instance, the power a wind turbine can generate is a function of the cube of the average wind speed at its site, which means that small differences in wind speed mean large differences in productivity and electricity cost. Additionally, the swept area of a turbine rotor is a function of the square of the blade length(the radius of the rotor’s swept area). A modest increase in blade length boosts energycapture and cost-effectiveness. Financing methods can make a major difference in project economics as well. Securing significant investment capital or joint ownership of a project can cut costs

12

significantly. Furthermore, thereare federal and state incentives for which a project may qualify and which could reduce costs and encourage more favorable investment.

13

7 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTSCompared to the environmental impact of traditional energy sources, the environmentalimpact of wind power is relatively minor. Wind power consumes no fuel, and emits no airpollution, unlike fossil fuel power sources. The energy consumed to manufacture and transport the materials used to build a wind power plant is equal to the new energy produced by the plant within a few months. While a wind farm may cover a large area of land, many land uses such as agriculture are compatible, with only small areas of turbine foundations and infrastructure made unavailable for use. There are reports of bird and bat mortality at wind turbines as there are around other artificial structures.The scale of the ecological impact may or maynot be significant, depending on specific circumstances. Prevention and mitigation of wildlife fatalities, and protection of peat bogs, affect the sitting and operation of wind turbines.There are anecdotal reports of negativeeffects from noise on people who live veryclose to wind turbines. Peer-reviewedresearch has generally not supported thesestatements.

14

15

8 CONCLUSION

As a conclusion wind energy is one of the best sources of energy, as wind power is an alternative to fossil fuels, is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation and uses little land. Any effects on the environment are generally less problematic than those from other power sources. But Wind Energy is not that practical now days, it still need some developments but for sure it is the most eco-friendly source of energy which helps in decreasing the pollution as it produces no air pollution during operation, doesn’t produce harmful wastes which affect the environment and doesn’t consume any fuel. It is more economical to produce and is much safer than oil refinery or a nuclear power plant. Wind energy is growing in popularity and it looks like that in the near future, itwill be the one of the most used alternative energy sources of the 21st century. We must all conserve energy and use it efficiently. It's also up to those who will create the newenergy technologies of the future. All energysources have an impact on the environment.

16

Concerns about the greenhouse effect and global warming, air pollution, and energy security have led to increasing interest and more development in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, wave power and hydrogen. But we'll need to continue to use fossil fuels and nuclear energy until new, cleaner technologies can replace them. One of you who is reading this might be another Albert Einstein or Marie Curie and find a new source of energy. Until then, it'sup to all of us. The future is ours, but we need energy to get there.

17

9 RecommendationWind power can be a cornerstone of this sustainable energy future because it is affordable, provides jobs, substantial and distributed revenue, and treads lightly on our environment without causing pollution, generating hazardous wastes, or depleting natural resources.

Wind Energy has it’s pros and cons ; However , Wind energy emerges as a clear winner in terms of its overall impact on the environment and human health . Wind farms arespaced over a large geographic area, but their actual "footprint" covers only a small portion of the land resulting in a minimum impact space on people, livestock, or production. Large buildings cannot be built near the turbine, thus wind farms preserve open. Wind energy is a pollution free source,Other sources of electricity produce harmful particulate emissions which contribute to global climate change and acid rain.

Economically it’s the top efficient source ofenergy compared to other means of energy such

18

as; Hydroelectric, Nuclear, Solar, and Waves Energy. Wind energy generates electricity at the source of fuel unlike other forms of electrical generation where fuel is shipped to a processing plant; taking two expensive aspects out of long-term energy costs. The price of electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power can fluctuate greatly due to highly variable mining and transportation costs. Wind can help buffer these costs because the price of fuel is fixed and free. Wind energy projects create new short and long term jobs. Wind energy creates 30% more jobs than a coal plant and 66% more than a nuclear power plant per unit of energy generated.

19

REFRENCES

[1] Green Energy

http://www.reegle.info/index, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[2] Wind Energy

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter16.html, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[3] Wind Turbines

http://www.teachergeek.org/wind_turbine_types.pdf, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[4] Windmills

http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/wind.html, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[5]Wind Pumps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windpump, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[6] Advantages and Disadvantages

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/

20

advantages_and_disadvantages_of_wind_energy.html, Accessed December 1, 2012.

[7]Economics of Wind Energy

http://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org/documents/download/Chapter3.pdf, Accessed December 1, 2012.

21