Wind and Solar Energy

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Wind and Solar Energy

• Matt Rhoney Marty Dubin

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Overview to Wind

• Energy created by using the natural air currents
  of the Earth
• Relatively inexpensive compared with other
  alternative fuel sources
• It is a perpetual fuel source

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Components

• Hub- The piece of the propeller to which the
  blades are attached the center point
• Blades- The (usually 3) outer pieces of the
  propeller which spin with the wind
• Gear Box Transmission- As wind speed increases,
  this will step up the gear to handle the higher
  speed of the propeller (much like an automotive
  transmission)

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Componentsalso

• Brake- Usually for emergency use only, if the
  rotor spins too fast for the generator to handle
  the speed.
• Drive Shaft- Connects the transmission to the
  generator, and spins the magnet in the generator.
• Generator- A magnet rotates in the generator,
  creating an electromagnetic field and thus
  creating electricity.

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Advantages

• Wind turbines do not produce any greenhouse
  gases.
• It is less expensive over a long period of time
• Net metering Customers pay retail price for the
  electricity they use, and sell back the unused
  energy back to the provider.
• Life Cycle costs beat out all other alternative
  fuel types.
• These can be used in large scale wind farms, or
  as single structures in very rural areas in order
  to generate power for farms.
• It will be less expensive as further developments
  are made (several are made each year.)

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(Environmental) Problems

• Some bird populations will suffer, especially
  with endangered species who may only live in high
  wind areas.
• Like all power sources, wind generators do
  produce a certain level of noise during
  operation, which can become a problem near
  concentrated wind farms.
• The large size required to capture the higher,
  less turbulent winds are becoming an unsightly
  problem with residents near these structures.
• Wind is not a constant. There is still
  speculation over what will happen during low wind
  days.
• Wind farms can be very space-consuming and
  destructive to land.

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The Contraption
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Companies and Communities

• NWTC (National Wind Technology Center)
• To maximum energy output at minimum cost
• Main Problem testing is pricey with the
  continuous ordering of materials.
• Wind technology has only been tested on small
  societies located in high-wind areas
• Vermont, North Dakota, and Wyoming to name a few.
• Successful in small communities with high-wind
  area,
• Has not been tested on large communities.

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Solar Power

• Well, its simply taking energy giving by the sun
  and turning it into useable energy through
  multiple devices

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Basic Methods

• Sunlight hits a photovoltaic cell (aka a solar
  panel)
• Sunlight hits a solar sail on a space craft and
  or satellite which acts as a force to move the
  craft

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Focusing

• Point Focus involves use of a parabolic dish or
  a lens to focus the beam of light, intensifying
  the energy and aiming it at the photovoltaic
  cells
• Line Focus a series of mirrors placed in line
  to capture and direct light directly into
  photovoltaic cells or tube containing a heat
  transferring liquid

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Obtaining the Energy

• The most common way to absorb the energy is
  through photovoltaic cells or solar panel arrays
• Their use has mainly been for small appliances
  due to high cost but now cost and tax rebate
  incentives have given rise to more common uses
  such as lowering ones electric bill
• Another source is a Solar Power Plant which is
  simply put, a large power plant with a large
  array of solar panels using the different
  focusing techniques
• One technique is a parabolic trough this is a
  series of mirrors which are curved and exposed to
  the sunlight all day focusing the light onto a
  tube which contains a a fluid which then absorbs
  the heat. The largest solar energy system in the
  USA is currently the SEGS system which uses oil
  to transfer the heat. The oil then passes
  through a heat exchanger which creates steam
  which then in turn powers a steam turbine

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Obtaining the Energy Contd

• Another well used technique is the Dish system
• In this system a dish, similar to a satellite
  dish focuses light into a thermal collector above
  the dish.
• This system is able to achieve a higher
  temperature thus a higher energy output due to
  the increased light it receives
• The dish is then generally coupled to some sort
  of engine, be it a steam or Stirling engine
• These then create kinetic energy which is then
  converted to electricity through an electric
  generator
• Energy from both techniques is typically stored
  in batteries but storage further increases the
  energy loss. One way being attempted is to
  directly input the energy into the power grid

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Advantages and Disadvantages

• Lower electric bills
• Lower use of fossil fuels
• Decreased amount of pollutants being produced and
  released
• Tax Rebates
• Low cost energy

• High production cost
• Large space required
• Exponential change in consumer living
• Not feasible for large scale nation power source
  as of now
• Locations of plants must be individually selected
  with a specific requirements

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Solar Power Plant Basics
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Bibliography

• Wind Resources. U.S. Dept. of Energy Energy
  Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Available at
  www.eere.energy.com Accessed 2/15/06
• AWEA (American Wind Energy Association), 2004,
  Wind Energy and the Environment, Wind Web
  Tutorial. Available at http//www.awea.org/pubs/tu
  torial/wwt_environment.html. Accessed 2/15/06
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_powerFocus_typ
  e. Accessed 2/16/06
• Main Components of a Wind Turbine. Wind Energy
  Systems. Iowa Energy Center. Available at
  www.energy.iastate.edu Accessed 2/16/06