Why wind?Wind power is one of the cheapest and most environmentally friendly renewable sources of generating energy.Governments are beginning to encourage wind farm development. This is a first step towards having a sustainable energy future. They need to be supported and encouraged to go further. |
Back to Clean Power How does wind power work? How efficient is wind power? Does wind power work all the time? How reliable is wind power? Where is wind power being installed? $87 billion in windmills? What are the arguments against wind power? Wind power general links Wind power technical links |
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How does wind power work?Wind power relies on wind to rotate turbine blades, which then turn a generator, generating electricity.Wind power turbines can be over 100 metres tall or small enough to carry, depending on the application they're designed for. Power made by small units is either used or stored on site in batteries. A large unit's power is fed into the national grid. Wind power sounds simple but in fact harnessing the power of the wind is enormously complex and huge advances have been made in recent years. Find out more about how it works from the BBC web site. |
Key: 1. Tower; 2 Blades; 3. Anemometer (measures wind speed); 4. Generator; 5. Gears; 6. Motor (moves turbine to face the wind) Source: BBC program - Disposable Planet? |
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How efficient is wind power?A wind farm pays back the energy consumed in wind turbine manufacture in 3-6 months. |
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Do wind turbines work all the time?Large wind turbines have a set number of optimal rotation speeds at which they generate power. The turbines at Codrington (shown in the picture) have two.To deal with variable wind speeds, the wind turbines have blades that change angle automatically and allow the turbines to rotate at a constant speed. If the wind blows too fast or too slow, the turbines stop working, hence sites with constant mid-strength winds are preferred. Turbines also turn to face the wind. In large turbines this is done mechanically using motors, in small turbines this is done by fins. With the ability to place turbines in locations from Queensland to South Australia, all connected to the national electricity grid, the likelihood of all wind farms failing to generate power is effectively nonexistent. |
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How reliable is wind power?A wind turbine can be expected to produce 30% of its maximum theoretical energy output over an extended period of time.Of course this figure depends on the turbine's site. The more constant the wind at a given location, the more power the turbine generates. This is why some sites, such as coastal ones, are preferred to others. As shown in the table, no forms of power generation operate at their theoretical maxima. The Australian Wind Energy Association has a good web page showing the typical outputs of different energy technologies. |
Australian Wind Energy Association Top |
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Where is wind power being installed?Take a look at the Australian Wind Energy Association's map showing where wind power is being installed in Australia.Victoria is currently winning the wind energy race with 47% of Australia's installed wind energy. However, South Australia has far more wind power awaiting construction, with 1,100 megawatts of wind power planned compared to Victoria's 437 megawatts. The Victorian government has recently released a map showing where good wind locations exist close to the existing power line infrastructure. |
Yes2Wind AUSWEA: Where wind power is being installed in Australia Victoria's Wind Atlas How much wind power is being installed globally Top |
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Arguments against Wind Power?BirdsLike most man-made structures, wind turbines do occasionally kill birds. However local birds soon habituate to their presence and will fly over, under or around them. Intelligent placement of wind farms can help prevent bird death. We look more closely at the issue of birds and wind power here. Noise Smaller units used for remote power generation can be a little bit noisy if you are close to them, depending on the model and the speed of the wind at the time. Large modern turbines make a quiet whooshing sound as the blades spin above you. Visual In Victoria wind farms are only built on agricultural land. Many people see wind turbines as graceful symbols of hope and sustainability for the future - a first step in the right direction. Others criticise their visual impact. The issue seems to be about people who want power generation to occur somewhere else. They would prefer to see farming families evicted to make great gaping scars in the landscape to mine brown coal, rather than having a wind farm "spoil their view." Some value coastal views above inland views. There also seems to be an age issue, with most young people liking the look of wind farms. |
A small home-based wind power unit. Unlike their larger relatives, these are not all that quiet when working. This is a night-time picture of an Air 403 model, part of a remote energy system based on solar and wind. The model can produce 400 watts of power. Federal greenhouse site - information on installing a domestic wind power system A variety of available domestic models Southwest Windpower, the makers of the Air 403 model |
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Other Issues
Other criticisms are levelled at wind farms. Former environmentalist Professor David Bellamy outlined many of these arguments in an article in the Geelong Advertiser on January 14th, 2004. His arguments are extreme and illogical. The most rational, and comprehensive debunking of the anti-wind movement's arguments has been produced by Yes2Wind, formed in the UK by WWF, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, all of whom support wind power. |
Bellamy's arguments: Futureenergy.org's analysis Yes2Wind: debunking the myths AUSWEA: debunking the myths Top |
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$87 billion in windmills?If the US hadn't gone to war at a cost of $87 billion, what could have been done in terms of installing wind power? A fascinating and relevant article by Professor Paul F. deLespinasse tackles this question. |
How many windmills could we build for $87 billion? |
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General Wind Power LinksAustralian Wind Energy Association (AUSWEA)AUSWEA links to manufacturers, developers and other wind energy associations around the world Wind Power Monthly WindPower Business Guide Lots of interesting links to wind power businesses Top |
Technical LinksTechnology fundamentals of wind turbinesWind on the system - grid integration of wind power Wind turbine technology trends Leading-edge rotor blade design Energy storage NREL pitch-controlled variable-speed turbine generation Control solutions for stand alone wind systems Effect of pitch control, etc. on power quality Robustness analysis of a wind power plant Fixed versus variable speed Economics of wind energy Integrating CHP and wind power Wind power and decentralized energy supply in Germany Large wind turbines Innovative concepts Power Parks - a new solution for local energy The Spanish wind energy market: Part 1 and Part2 |