Basics of wind energy

WIND RESOURCE

• All renewable energy (except tidal and geothermal power),

and even the energy in fossil fuels, ultimately comes from
the sun. The sun radiates of 1.74 x 10 watts energy to the
earth per hour

• About 1 to 2 per cent of the energy coming from the sun

is converted into wind energy. That is about 50 to 100
times more than the energy converted into biomass by all
plants on earth
WIND RESOURCE

• Wind is simply air in motion. It is caused by the

uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun

• Since the earth's surface is made up of land,

desert, water, and forest areas, the surface absorbs
the sun's radiation differently
Characteristics of wind energy

• It is environmentally clean source of energy

• It is a dilute source of energy

• It is perennially available

• Its availability is unpredictable

• Data are available about its availability pattern

around the day for different months of the year
WIND RESOURCE

• Global winds

• Local Winds
• Land Breezes and Sea Breezes

• Mountain Breezes and Valley Breezes

Global winds

• The wind rises from the equator and moves north and south in the higher
layers of the atmosphere.

• Around 30°; latitude in both hemispheres the Coriolis force prevents the air
from moving much farther. At this latitude there is a high pressure area, as the
air begins sinking down again.

• As the wind rises from the equator there will be a low pressure area close to
ground level attracting winds from the North and South.

• At the Poles, there will be high pressure due to the cooling of the air
Local Winds-Land Breezes and Sea Breezes

• Land masses are heated by the sun more quickly than the sea
in the daytime. The air rises, flows out to the sea, and creates a
low pressure at ground level which attracts the cool air from
the sea. This is called a sea breeze. At nightfall there is often a
period of calm when land and sea temperatures are equal.

• At night the wind blows in the opposite direction. The land

breeze at night generally has lower wind speeds, because the
temperature difference between land and sea is smaller at night
Local Winds-Mountain Breezes and Valley Breezes

• Mountain breezes and valley breezes are due to a combination of

differential heating and geometry. When the sun rises, it is the tops of the
mountain peaks which receive first light, and as the day progresses, the
mountain slopes take on a greater heat load than the valleys.

• This results in a temperature inequity between the two, and as warm air
rises off the slopes, cool air moves up out of the valleys to replace it. This
upslope wind is called a valley breeze.

• The opposite effect takes place in the afternoon, as the valley radiates
heat. The peaks, long since cooled, transport air into the valley in a
process that is partly gravitational and partly convective and is called a
mountain breeze
Local Winds-Mountain Breezes and Valley Breezes

• Mountain breezes and valley breezes are due to a combination of

differential heating and geometry. When the sun rises, it is the tops of the
mountain peaks which receive first light, and as the day progresses, the
mountain slopes take on a greater heat load than the valleys.

• This results in a temperature inequity between the two, and as warm air
rises off the slopes, cool air moves up out of the valleys to replace it. This
upslope wind is called a valley breeze.

• The opposite effect takes place in the afternoon, as the valley radiates
heat. The peaks, long since cooled, transport air into the valley in a
process that is partly gravitational and partly convective and is called a
mountain breeze
Factors influencing wind speed

• Pressure Gradient
• Rossby waves
• Coriolis Force
• Frictional Force
• Centripetal Acceleration
• Local weather conditions-hurricanes, monsoons and
cyclones
Factors influencing wind speed

Pressure Gradient
• The differences in atmospheric pressure produces pressure gradient force.

• The rate of change of pressure with respect to distance is the pressure

gradient.

• Pressure Gradient Force operates from the high pressure area to a low
pressure area and causes wind movement.

• The pressure gradient is strong where the isobars are close to each other
and is weak where the isobars are apart. Since a closely spaced gradient
implies a steep pressure change, it also indicates a strong wind speed.

• The wind direction follows the direction of change of pressure, i.e.

perpendicular to the isobars.
Factors influencing wind speed-Isobars
Factors influencing wind speed

Rossby waves

• It is strong winds in the upper troposphere. These

operate on a global scale and move from West to
East.
Factors influencing wind speed

Coriolis Force
• The rotation of the earth about its axis affects the direction of the wind. This force is called the
coriolis force. It has great impact on the direction of wind movement

• Due to the earth’s rotation, winds do not cross the isobars at right angles as the pressure gradient
force directs, but get deflected from their original path

• This deviation is the result of the earth’s rotation and is called the coriolis effect or coriolis force

• Due to this effect, winds in the northern hemisphere get deflected to the right of their path and
those in the southern hemisphere to their left, following This deflection force does not seem to
exist until the air is set in motion and increases with wind velocity, air mass and an increase in
latitude

• The Coriolis force acts perpendicular to the pressure gradient force (pressure gradient force is
perpendicular to an isobar)

• As a result of these two forces operating perpendicular to each other, in the low-pressure areas
the wind blows around it (cyclonic conditions)
Factors influencing wind speed

Frictional Force
• The irregularities of the earth’s surface offer resistance to the
wind movement in the form of friction
• It affects the speed of the wind. It is greatest at the surface
and its influence generally extends up to an elevation of 1 – 3
km. Over the sea surface the friction is minimal
• Over uneven terrain, however, due to high friction, the wind
direction makes high angles with, isobars and the speed gets
retarded
Factors influencing wind speed

Centripetal Acceleration
• It acts only on air that is flowing around centers of
circulation
• Centripetal acceleration creates a force directed at right
angles to the wind movement and inwards towards the
centers of rotation (e.g., low and high pressure centers).
• This force produces a circular pattern of flow around
centers of high and low pressure
Back ground of wind power

• Global wind power potential is of the order of 11,000 GW

• It is about 5 times the global installed power generation capacity

• About 25,000 MW is the global installed wind power capacity

• It is about 1% of global installed power generation capacity

Wind produces about 50 billion kWh per year globally with the
average utilization factor of 2000 hours per year
Historical development of Wind Energy Conversion
System
Wind power growth
Wind power growth
Wind Regime in India

• Wind climatology in India is influenced by the strong monsoon

circulations

• South west monsoon during May to Sept brings the best winds

• Wind speed during November to March is low, except in Southern

tip of Tamil Nadu

• Best Windy Sites are in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat,

Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra
Wind power growth-India
Wind power growth-India
THANK YOU