Wind farm

Other sources of energy worth noting are the extensive wind farms, solar projects, and related emerging unconventional technologies. These renewable resources provide only small quantities of energy to the U.S. economy as of this writing. 

On the positive side, the three-dimensional nature of the resource provides it with a distinct advantage compared to other solar technologies. Specifically, because siting usually involves placing the individual turbines as high as possible, typically spacing turbines about 2 to 3 blade diameters apart crosswind and 10 diameters apart downwind, only a small fraction of a wind farm area is actually occupied. The rest of the land remains available for other appHcations, such as crop production or Hvestock grazing. 

Normally such mills are installed in groups known as wind farms to provide a sizeable power source, except in remote areas, where power demand may be restricted to a very limited area and small mills may suffice. When mills are installed in groups, precautions are necessary to ensure that there is enough distance between any two mills so that there is no hindrance to routine maintenance, on the one hand, and obstruction of wind to other mills, on the other. For more details, refer to the literature available on the subject in the Further reading at the end of the chapter. 

The fuel crises and environmental concerns of the 1970s revived interest in the use of wind to produce electricity. Governmental subsidies, especially in the United States, supported both the construction of wind turbines and research, and led to the erection of large arrays of wind generators (wind farms) in a few... 

To obtain the best productivity from a wind turbine, it must be sited adequately. Whether establishing a wind farm with a hundred turbines or a single tur-... 

Other considerations in siting wind turbines are visual impact and noise, particularly in densely populated areas (National Wind Coordinating Committee Siting Subcommittee, 1998). Uuc to Europe s high population density, European wind turbine manufacturers are actively examining the potential of placing wind turbines in offshore wind farms. 

CER/04/237, Wind Farm Transmission Grid Code Provisions, 2004. 

SP Transmission and Distribution Scottish Hydro-Electric, Guidance Note for the Connection of Wind Farms, Issue No. 2.1.4, 2004. 

Tande J.O.G., Grid integration of wind farms, Wind Energ., 6, 281-295, 2003. 

In 1997 the European Commission made a proposal to generate 12% of the European Union s (EU) power from renewable sources by 2010. This would include 40,000-MW from wind farms, 10,000-MW from biomass and 50,0000 PV systems on roofs. 

Since 1992, more commercial wind farms have been installed than ever before with 40,000 turbines in 40 countries. Wind energy capacity is growing at almost 30% annually. By 1998, it reached 10,000 megawatts (MW), which can supply a country the size of Denmark and the wind power industry had sales of 2 billion with 35,000 jobs worldwide. The prime movers were an increasing environmental awareness and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions made under the Kyoto Protocol of 1997. 

Wind power has been slowed by public opposition. In 2002, a citizen s group in Prince Edward County, Ontario, vetoed a small windfarm project on the coast of Lake Ontario near Hillier. They proposed that the 22 proposed wind turbines would be noisy, kill birds and harm the neighborhood by being too visible. These are common complaints about wind-farms, but at a distance of about 200 meters, the sound of a windfarm is faint. At closer distances the noise is similar to the sound of an airplane s engine from inside the cabin. Even under the spinning blades it is possible to converse in a normal voice. One Dutch study showed that a small wind-farm is less harmful to birds than 1-kilometer of road or powerlines. 

The U.K. has the best wind resources in Europe, but attempts to set up wind farms were stopped when local authorities failed to issue permits for turbine construction. The national government had no guidelines and policies allowing local authorities to cooperate. 

Wind energy Wind turbines capture the energy from the wind to produce electricity. They have been developed for various purposes, from large groups of grid-connected wind turbines, wind farms, both onshore and offshore, to very small autonomous turbines used for battery charging or in combined wind-diesel projects for off-grid application. 

Mankind has utilized wind as a form of energy ever since the first sail was hoisted on a crudely built boat thousands of years ago. In the 12th century, it was used to power the first windmills. It is only natural that wind should be viewed as an attractive means of generating electricity. As of the end of 2008, wind was about at the point where it will generate 1% of electricity consumed in the U.S. That ratio has been rapidly thanks to the continual construction of new wind farms. 

Noteworthy projects include the 2006 completion of America s largest wind farm to date FPL Energy s 736-megawatt Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas spreads across 47,000 acres and is comprised of 291 1.5-megawatt turbines and 130 2.3-megawatt turbines. 

Mesa Power LLC, headed by legendary energy investor T. Boone Pickens, has been making headlines with its plans for a vast wind farm, the Pampa Wind Project, in the Texas panhandle that may eventually include 2,700 wind turbines generating 4,000 megawatts of electricity. Pickens is... 

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