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Energy and the Environment

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  1. Introduction
  2. Transport Fuels
    5 Topics
  3. Energy Sources: Fossil Fuels
    8 Topics
  4. Energy Sources: Renewables
    10 Topics
  5. Electricity
    10 Topics
  6. Energy Sources: Nuclear
    6 Topics
  7. Demand Response
    6 Topics
  8. Energy/Emissions Policy
    15 Topics
  9. Energy Economics
    2 Topics
    |
    1 Quiz
Lesson 4, Topic 2
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Wind Power

Abdulaziz July 15, 2020
Lesson Progress
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  • high power, geared transmissions were developed centuries ago by windmill designers
  • Dependent on wind speed & direction
    • Too little force no power
    • Too much force damage to infrastructure
wind power closeup
wind power closeup
California Wind Power Plant
California Wind Power Plant
  • Blades on turbine turn as wind blows
  • Rotates shaft connected to generator
  • Spinning magnets of generator convert rotational energy into electricity
Windmills for electric power production
Windmills for electric power production
  • Minimum wind speed: 10-15km/h
  • Turbine cut out: 90km/h
  • Turbine performance is exponential
    • Wind speeds of 30km/h 8x more productive than winds of 15km/h
  • Two main categories
    • Onshore & Offshore
    • Offshore advantages more wind
    • Offshore disadvantages higher costs
  • Efficiency 20-50% for modern turbines