EOS Eco-Energy and the Centre of Excellence for Energy
Renewable Energy:
Wind
What is wind?
Wind is the natural movement of air/other gases around the Earth's
surface. This movement is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth's
surface by the sun.
This uneven heating creates differences in atmospheric pressure,
causing wind. Warm air rises higher into the atmosphere and moves
toward the poles, called a low-pressure system.
At the same time, cool, denser air moves over Earth’s surface toward
the Equator to replace the heated air. This is a high-pressure system. Winds
generally blow from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
There is enough wind every day to generate 35 times the amount of
energy all of humanity uses every day.
2
What is wind
energy?
Renewable energy is energy that has been
derived from natural, infinite resources.
Examples include moving water or air, or
solar power. Renewable energy is
becoming an increasingly common
alternative to traditional, non-renewable
energy sources (like oil or coal).
3
WHERE CAN WE GET
WIND ENERGY?
While some power can be generated from
individual windmills, most of the wind energy on the
electrical grid comes from large-scale wind farms.
Wind farms are where multiple very large wind
turbines are placed in one area to generate lots of
power.
The placement of wind farms is strategic, turbines
can't just be built in any windy area. Wind farms are
often built in tops of smooth hills; open plains and
water; and mountain gaps that can funnel and
intensify gusts of wind. Areas of higher elevations
above the earth’s surface are typically best for
generating wind energy.
4
Wind energy is turned into electricity by
using wind turbines. Traditional windmills
turn the kinetic energy of the wind into
rotational energy, while modern wind
turbines take this process one step
further and turn the rotational energy
How does into electricity.
One large turbine (100m tall) can power
wind energy approximately 750 average homes.
work?
How can we use
wind energy?
Electricity generated by wind
turbines/windmills can be used
locally or placed on the electric
grid to power homes or other
buildings farther away from the
wind farm.
6
What are the benefits of wind energy?
Environment Infinite Cost Jobs
Wind energy does Wind is a Wind can be one The wind energy
not produce any renewable of the lowest-priced industry is very fast
toxic by-products, it resource. There is energy sources growing and
does not use other no limit to the available. Some employment in the
resources for amount of wind projects source it at sector is
cooling that can be used to only 2-4 cents per increasingly rapidly.
(like nuclear create energy. kWh.
energy) or damage
the environment.
7
What are the disadvantages of wind energy?
Aesthetics Wildlife Noise Locations
While wind turbines Wind turbines can While actually very Unfortunately,
and farms don't cause a threat to minor, many generation of
pollute the wildlife. Most critiques of wind sigificant wind
environment, many notably, if placed in turbines and farms energy requires
people do not like the path of comes from the placement in very
to look at them. This migrating birds. low-level noise they specific locations.
limits where they emit. This often means
can be placed. wind farms can't be
located where they
are most needed. 8
Solving the problems
While harnessing wind energy can come with a few disadvantages, scientists
have done their best to minimize these issues as technology has developed.
• Special consideration is given to birds migratory patterns to avoid harming
wildlife.
• Developers choose areas where wind farms will be the least unsightly. In
many instances wind farms are only temporary. Multiple wind projects in
Nova Scotia have a twenty year time limit before the sight is reclaimed.
• While old wind turbines were much louder, new models have been
updated to reduce noise pollution and impact on citizens near them.
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Wind turbines
Wind turbine require a minimum height and speed to work well. Turbines typically
require a minimum wind speed of about 12-14 km/h to begin turning and
generating electricity. Strong winds, around 50-60 km/h, are best to generate at full
capacity. When winds reach approximately 90 km/h the turbines must be stopped
to avoid damage.
While there are many different models of wind turbines, they are usually built to be
anywhere between 100-900ft, with most being 200-600ft, including the blades.
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Wind farms
around the
world
Many different countries around the
world have wind farms of their own.
The countries generating the most
wind power include China, the U.S.A.,
Germany, India, and Spain.
Canada also generates significant
wind power, with the largest wind farm
in the country located in Rivière-du-
Moulin in Quebec. 11
Wind turbines require certain environments to
successfully generate significant amounts of
Measuring energy. As stated before, specific locations are
carefully selected by experts. Experts use tools like
wind energy an anemometer to help them choose a location
for wind turbines and wind farms.
Anemometers can calculate average wind
speed in multiple different ways. The first, and
most common type of anemometer uses three or
four cups attached to horizontal arms attached
to a vertical rod. It uses rotation from the wind to
calculate wind speed. The other most common
kind uses windmill style blades to do the same.
Wind in New Brunswick
New Brunswick has yet to use much of its wind energy.
Many of its most viable sites either line the coast or sit in
the middle of the province, where there are fewer
large cities and communities to push for the
development of wind farms and less need for energy.
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New
Brunswick
wind energy
New Brunswick has five large wind farms currently
producing energy. N.B. has wind farms in Lamèque,
Caribou Mountain, and Kent Hills. There are smaller
projects in Cap-Pelé, Richibucto, Riverside-Albert,
and Kings County. Together these projects
generate 355 MW of wind energy, which has the
capacity to power approximately 180,000 homes in
the province.
Pictured here is art done by Indigenous artists on
the turbine nacelles (or the turbine hub) at the
Wocawson Energy Project in Kings County on
the Wocawson Indigenous reserve. 14
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