Wind energy, Advantages and disadvantages as a renewable energy source (2024)

Wind energy exploring  

In previous articles, we discussed renewable energy sources and published some articles about solar energy as one of these sources. We learned how the solar cell and solar panels work to produce electricity from sunlight. We also discussed the main important parameters affecting the produced electricity from solar energy.

In this article, we will continue the study of renewable energy sources series by discussing and explaining wind energy which is one of these renewable energy sources. We will go through its meaning, the application uses wind energy, and its advantages, and disadvantages.

We will review the wind energy benefits and drawbacks on the environment. and finally will discuss the stages of the wind turbine that is used in producing electricity. the technology and the equipment that convert the wind to electricity. 

Wind power energy

What is the meaning of the wind energy?

Wind energy is one of the renewable energy sources that harvest the power of the wind and convert it to mechanical power which can be used directly in its raw form in windmills in grain grinding and water pumping from the ground or used to convert the wind’s kinetic energy to produce. 

Wind energy is considered an environment friend, clean, and efficient in minimizing greenhouse gas. Resist the climate change and to replace the traditional fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.

What are the Advantages of the wind energy?

Wind energy has many advantages that could be summarized in the following main 6 advantages:

1. Wind energy is one of the well-known renewable energy sources that are environmentally friendly Compared to fossil fuels in terms of clean energy, air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and CO2 emission. All these can significantly reduce climate change.
2. Wind energy reduces the dependence on traditional energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas to enhance the energy supply and avoid disruptions.
3. Wind energy increases the cost-competitive with traditional fossil fuel sources. Where the continuing cost decreases of electricity generated from wind turbines.
4. Wind energy projects and investments open the door for more job creation and economic growth in the field of fabrication, installation, and maintenance of wind turbines.
5. Wind turbines have low operation and maintenance, increasing cost-saving approaches.
6. Wind turbines could be installed on a small scale or large scale and connected to the utility grid.

What are the disadvantages of the wind energy?

Unfortunately, despite all the benefits of wind energy, it has some drawbacks that could be listed as follows:

1. Low power generated compared to the available wind power
2. Wind energy is variable and intermittent; the harvested energy depends on wind speed. This dependence can lead to electricity fluctuation.
3. Wind farms need large landscape areas, especially for farms that have multiple wind turbines.
4. During operation, wind turbines can produce unwanted sounds and vibrations that are considered a source of annoyance to nearby residents.
5. Wind turbines are considered a high risk to the collision surrounding birds, especially in high bird migration areas and high populations of bird nesting which creates some concerns about wildlife impact.
6. Wind energy needs a high initial cost, especially for the investment of the power transmission and grid connection infrastructure.

What are the applications of the wind energy?

Two main applications use wind energy, electricity generation where wind turbines are used single or multiple ones (wind farms) and the second application is using wind energy to grind grains.

Grain grinding.

A typical example of grain grinding is the traditional windmills. The windmill has large metal or wooden blades fixed to a rotated shaft that is affected by the wind energy and converted to rotation energy. in the windmill, there is the grinding equipment that consists of large stones or a set of gears that receive the rotation energy and use it in grain grinding.

The grinding disks, stones, or gears are rotated above a fixed table where the grain is placed on its surface. When the wind causes the rotation of disks, it allows it to crush the grain between them and the fixed table surface.

Windmill for grain grinding

The grinding mechanism is designed to be adjusted to control the angle and orientation of the rotating blades to follow the change of the wind direction for the optimization of the grinding process to ensure the grinding efficiency of the windmill.

Electricity generation:

Electricity generation is the main and important application that uses the kinetic energy of wind energy to produce electrical energy by using wind turbines which are commonly used to generate electricity on a utility scale, providing clean and renewable energy to power homes, businesses, and communities.

What are the wind energy electricity applications?  

• Off-grid wind turbines generate electricity as a stand-alone application that is independent of the utility grid. This power is fed to farms or facilities. The off-grid wind energy is enhanced to supply electricity to a stand-alone application that exists far away from the national grid.

• Water pumping applications where the wind turbines supply power to the water pumps for irrigation where there is no access to the utility grid electricity.

• Wind turbines are used to supply power to the desalination stations where drinking fresh water results from seawater plants.

• Wind energy is integrated into hybrid energy systems with diesel generators, solar power systems, and battery storage systems to supply sustainable power to a certain load.

• Wind energy is used for research and development purposes to advance wind turbine technology, improve efficiency, and explore new applications for wind power.

What are the components of the wind turbines?

For the wind turbine to generate electricity, it should include main components that must be installed and used to enhance the operation of the wind turbine and maximize its efficiency. The following components are:

1. Rotor blades that capture the wind energy and convert it to rotational motion.
2. Hub that connects the rotor blades to the turbine’s main shaft.
3. Nacelle which is the house containing the wind turbine components.
4. The gearbox increases the rotor speed to the needed speed for generating electricity.
5. The generator is responsible for converting the mechanical energy to electrical energy.
6. Anemometer which is the sensor that measures the wind speed. It also helps in adjusting the turbine’s orientation to optimize the energy produced.
7. Wind Vane which is responsible for determining the direction of the wind and enabling the turbine alignment in the optimal position according to the wind direction.
8. Tower which supports an overhaul of the turbine body and its internal components.
9. Instrumentation and automation systems could be used to monitor and control the operation and performance of the wind turbines where cascaded PID control loops are used.

A diagram for wind energy turbine component 

What are the main Important speeds of the wind turbines? 

Before discussing the wind turbine operation, we have first to know about 3 important speeds for the wind turbine which are start-up speed which is the speed that makes the blades rotate, cut-in speed (3 m/s) which is the wind speed that lets the turbines start to generate electricity, and the cut-off speed (25 m/s) that stops the turbine.

The below image is for the distribution of the wind power density potential that submits a review of wind power density at 100 m above surface level. it also shows the best places for wind energy in the world to install wind farms.

Wind power density potential

How do Wind Turbines Work to Produce Electricity?

• When there is wind, the turbine blades rotate according to the blade’s design to catch the wind's kinetic energy and convert it to a rotational motion which transfers to the turbine's main shaft that is connected to the gearbox.

• The gearbox increases the main shaft’s rotational speed to rotate the generator at the optimal speed needed to generate electricity. The rotational shaft’s mechanical energy is converted to electricity by using the generator. The output of the generator is an alternating current (AC).

• Depending on the needs and requirements, the generated output could be adjusted to be direct or alternating through semiconductor devices. The turbine could work as a stand-alone or connected to the national grid.

• In the wind turbine, there is a control system that monitors and controls the operation of the turbine components blade pitch, turbine orientation, and other parameters to achieve turbine operation stability. as well as monitor the wind condition and performance.

In summary

wind energy is one of the renewable energy sources that have advantages and disadvantages of the renewable energy sources. Wind energy could be used directly in the traditional windmill for grain grinding and indirectly in producing electricity as a stand-alone off-grid or on-grid system. Wind turbines are used for electricity generation from wind.

 The components of the wind turbines convert the wind power to rotation to produce electricity by a generator. Promising R&D is developing to make wind energy a valuable resource for moving to a clean and more sustainable energy future as well as seeking new wind energy technology.

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