Contents
1) Introduction
2) Characteristics – Reliability, Flexibility, and Durability
3) Concluding Remarks
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.
Introduction
We continue our dive into the characteristics of wind power. Today, we explore the reliability, flexibility, and durability of wind power.
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.
Although the weather is a chaotic system, better forecasts are possible with the wide array of satellites existing in low earth orbit (LEO). Satellites in LEO provide 80% of the data that is used to make up weather forecasts. Numerical weather prediction uses the current weather data to predict future weather, hence why the error rises in forecasts that are further out in time.
Finally, countries need to consider their geography and environments. If a state is landlocked, for example, it can’t take advantage of higher offshore winds. If a state experiences unreliable wind speeds and direction at an inconsistent rate, it might be worth considering alternative production sources. A potential solution to this is the diversification of wind farm locations. To paraphrase a quote about eggs and baskets, don’t put all your wind turbines in one field.
Flexibility – Wind power can be integrated into the electric grid at a wide array of scales. However, the economic feasibility of each wind project is to be considered. In the clean energy transition, the innovation of smart grids will aid the release of excess storage for use during higher demand periods. As mentioned earlier, we’re not there yet. The storage capacity of these batteries will need to improve further.
If we consider a diverse collection of electricity production methods, whenever the wind isn’t blowing, methods such as solar and hydroelectric could counter this lull in production to avoid shortages. This would require a smart grid, or non-intermittent sources that can always provide baseload power when renewable energy production drops.
The system should cater to peak demand without the use of demand-side management, but time-of-use pricing, load shifting, and demand response programs can also be a part of increasing the flexibility of wind power.
Finally, in individual turbines, many include advanced control systems that can influence rotor speed and blade pitch to take full advantage of the physical condition of the wind.
There are many ideas on how wind turbines can be made more flexible as part of a diverse energy production system. As of today, we’re not yet at this stage.
Durability – As discussed earlier, wind turbines are growing in rotor diameter and height, and they are made to function at high wind speeds. Key questions in my mind to assess their durability are: How often do they fall over? What is the typical life of a wind turbine? And how often do they fail?
The typical lifetime of a wind turbine is between 20-25 years. In 2015, we saw a wind turbine collapse in Northern Ireland, so its occurrence is not zero. Another had fallen previously in 2007 in Scotland, and a large fire in North Ayrshire in 2012 was covered in the news.
If we put this in a global perspective, it's reported by Renewable UK that only 12 wind turbine fires occur every year on a global scale.
With these accidents, nobody has ever been injured, which is a positive of wind turbines often being located in rural areas.
According to research into onshore and offshore floating turbines, more than 36% of turbines fail three times or less, but in the observation in the research, most failed 5-9 times. Frequent maintenance of wind turbines will ensure continued function and prolong lifespan. As wind turbines get smarter, through processes such as remote monitoring and diagnostics, when these sensors do show worrying analytics, work can be done to correct these issues as quickly, efficiently, and cheaply as possible.
Concluding Remarks
Further innovation needs to occur in the wind industry to integrate turbines into the grid, and to store any excess production during windy periods. The promises of smart grids and remote monitoring will improve the efficiency of the entire system, reduce failures, and contribute to improved lifespans of wind turbines. There’s still a long way to go.
Next week, we will finish the deep dive into the characteristics of wind power. If you missed last week’s piece, be sure to check that out.
Part 1: https://geopoliticsreport.substack.com/p/the-characteristics-of-wind-power
Thanks for reading! If you want more then subscribe on Substack for these posts directly to your email inbox. I research history, geopolitics, and financial markets to understand the world and the people around us. If any of my work helps you be more prepared and ease your mind, that’s great. If you like what you read please share with others.
Key Links
The Geopolitics Explained Podcast
If you want to see daily updates and discover other newsletters that suit you, download the Substack App.
You can become a paid subscriber to support my work. There are long-form monthly articles in my global questions series exclusively for paid subscribers. Read Geopolitics Explained for 20p per day or start a free trial below to find out if my work is for you! I appreciate your support!
Sources