Wind Masterclass – Part 2

More Characteristics Of Wind Power

Contents

1)      Introduction

2)      Characteristics – Reliability, Flexibility, and Durability

3)      Concluding Remarks

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Bitesize Edition

• When exploring wind power, as the wind is intermittent and the weather is a chaotic system, it can be difficult to predict where is best suited for wind farms. We are, however, getting better at predicting this due to satellites in low-earth orbit (LEO).

• Wind power projects need to carefully consider their location. They are a key piece of the future of energy production, but economic feasibility, grid integration, excess storage, and the most efficient physical characteristics of turbines all need to be considered. Placing a wind turbine in a coastal or mountainous area for example will allow winds to build up to higher speeds, but as per the research piece above, this can often lead to greater forecast error. The technology is also improving to allow wind energy to be harnessed at lower wind speeds, but location and wind characteristics remain key trends in today’s piece.

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Introduction

We continue our dive into the characteristics of wind power. Today, we explore the reliability, flexibility, and durability of wind power.

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Characteristics

Reliability – The reliability of wind is dependent on the reliability of your local weather forecast, and good luck with predicting that accurately! Wind speed and wind direction contribute to the mechanics that determine electricity production through wind turbines. I’ll explore some of the mathematical calculations behind wind turbines at a later date. A vital factor of wind intermittency is that if the electricity supply doesn’t match demand, then if we only had wind power, we’d experience brownouts and blackouts since storage currently isn’t sufficient to supply electricity when the wind isn’t blowing. In periods of high production, this lack of storage can even lead to wasted electricity. Hence the importance of a diverse energy production system with a variety of economically feasible methods that suit the environment and weather of the state in which it exists.