Wind energy is one of the leading alternative energy sources because it has a number of advantages. The advantages of wind power plants include

• they do not pollute the environment, do not emit harmful emissions into the atmosphere, i.e. they are environmentally safe;
• wind energy is inexhaustible and free, meaning that only the installation of the windmill needs to be financed;
• the possibility of installation in hard-to-reach areas;
• autonomy in functioning, i.e. does not depend on the operation of the power grid;
• no need for a large area to install wind turbines.

However, among the obvious advantages of wind power plants, there are also disadvantages, namely

• long payback period for the cost of installing wind turbines;
• although wind is an inexhaustible natural source of energy, it is characterized by the instability of the wind flow, so wind farms should be installed in places where the average annual wind speed exceeds 3 m/s;
• danger to birds and animals living underground;
• noise and vibration from the operation of wind turbines.

Wind power plants (WPPs), or as they are also called Wind Farms, are a complex of wind turbines or wind generators consisting of a charge controller, rotor, voltage inverter and batteries. The rotor consists of three blades, the length of which determines the capture of the wind flow. The rotor converts the energy of the incoming wind flow into mechanical energy of the turbine rotation and its further conversion into electricity. The wind turbine blades are covered with insulating material to protect against lightning.

“There are two types of wind turbines: with a horizontal and vertical axis. To date, 95% of wind energy is generated by horizontal wind turbines, as their productivity is three times higher than vertical ones. Wind power plants are controlled remotely through a control room: start/stop of wind turbines, analysis of each wind turbine and the entire station, monitoring of meteorological indicators, and generation of a report on wind turbine performance.

In order to determine the location of a wind farm, it is important to take into account the optimal meteorological conditions (wind potential of the area), the stability of the soil for installing wind turbines, and bird migration routes.

The EIA for a wind farm, as well as the development of a project for the establishment of a sanitary protection zone, including the necessary calculations and measurements, should be entrusted to experienced specialists in the field of environmental protection and environmental permitting. Our specialists are able to provide a high level of services for the operation of wind farms within the framework of environmental legislation. In addition, MCL’s specialists are competent in conducting social and environmental impact assessments at the international level. Choosing MCL, you will get a reliable business partner in the field of ecology, management and law!

The post Wind power plant (WPP), wind turbines and windmills appeared first on Sheerwind.

• a unit that converts wind power into energy;
• storage battery;
• inverter;
• charge controller.

Equipment that converts wind energy into electricity includes

• a turbine, i.e. a rotor that converts the energy of a straight-line wind flow;
• a generator that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy;
• mast (this structural element can be of the “truss” type or tubular);
• turbine control system;
• multiplier (depending on the model);
• tail or azimuth drive system;
• rectifier, which is necessary when using alternators for proper battery charging.

In terms of power, all wind generator equipment is classified as household, which is characterized by a power of 1-10 kW and industrial – from 500 kW.

The post Design of wind power generators appeared first on Sheerwind.

The blades are connected to a central shaft, the so-called rotor. The rotor rotates a series of gears that increase the blade’s rotation by 100 times – creating a speed that is convenient for generating electricity by the generator. Therefore, it seems that the blades are always rotating lazily. There is also a computer at the top of the tower that keeps the blades in the best direction.

The key element of the turbine, called the nacelle, sits on top of the tower, behind the blades. The nacelle contains both the gearbox and the generator, which takes the kinetic energy from the rotating rotor shaft and converts it into direct current electrical energy.

The direct current goes down the inside of the tower, where a converter makes the DC into alternating current – the kind we use in our households. The transformer then increases the voltage by about 50 times, so that at a higher voltage, the current can be transmitted more efficiently to the substation, through underground cables. From the substation, electricity is distributed through the grid to consumers in homes and businesses.

The post How wind turbines work to generate electricity appeared first on Sheerwind.

If the control system is aeromechanical, the generator blades have special moving elements. It is this design solution that allows you to change the location of the blade plane depending on the wind direction. This ensures the most efficient operation of the equipment.

Wind generators characterized by a vertical axis are low-efficiency installations that are not recommended for use because of this. Such inefficient equipment includes:

“Darrieus” – a rotor that is suitable for use only as an anemoscope.

“Savonius is a rotor that has a disadvantage due to its existing advance coefficient. This equipment is not able to start up on its own, it needs to be spun up. If this is not done, it will only be possible to generate electricity when the wind reaches a speed of 10 m/s.

Wind turbines with a horizontal axis of rotation are the most widespread these days. This is due to the fact that in such installations it is easy to achieve a 30% utilization rate of wind flow energy. This value can be higher under certain conditions. With a vertical axis of rotation, this coefficient reaches 20% at best. Consequently, wind energy is used inefficiently.

If we compare the power supply from a wind turbine and solar modules, they are identical in terms of the connection scheme for a particular construction project. Therefore, one such power supply system can include both generators. This will allow you to get the maximum amount of electricity from alternative sources.

The post Modifications of wind generator equipment appeared first on Sheerwind.

This equipment has blades that are set in motion by the wind. This rotation starts the turbine, which also starts to rotate. The turbine begins to generate energy, the power of which is determined by the wind force. As wind energy increases, so does the mechanical energy generated by the turbine. The wind turbine device may differ in the presence or absence of a multiplier on the rotor.

If it is provided, the energy from the turbine is transferred to it. The purpose of the multiplier is to accelerate the rotation of the axis. Installations without this equipment are more efficient, as they do not generate additional energy (to accelerate the axis rotation), and therefore do not consume it. Such equipment has enough wind energy to function properly.

The principle of operation of the wind power plant made it possible to generate electricity in an alternative way and ensure the autonomy of each facility. The power of this equipment is completely determined by the size of its blades. The larger their area, the higher power can be obtained using the principle of operation of the wind turbine.

The power of wind equipment is calculated on the basis of the cubic dependence of the wind speed. The cubic dependence means that if a wind flow with a speed of 6 m/s provides a power output of 100 W, then an increase in the flow to 12 m/s will lead to an eightfold increase in power – up to 800 W.

If the turbine is small, very strong winds will be required to generate high power. If the turbine is large, it is capable of producing the required power even at low wind speeds. The design of the wind turbine fully determines its ability to produce a certain amount of electricity per unit of time, depending on the wind speed.

The post Features of the wind turbine device appeared first on Sheerwind.