Module 1
Wind Energy Infrastructure
• Wind-
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's
surface.
Wind is caused by differences in atmospheric pressure, which are mainly due
to temperature differences. When a difference in atmospheric pressure
exists, air moves from the higher to the lower pressure area, resulting in
winds of various speeds.
Winds have various aspects: velocity (wind speed); the density of the gas
involved; energy content, or wind energy
• Offshore wind and onshore wind –
-Onshore wind is the one that blows from the sea towards the land. Whereas,
offshore wind is the type of wind that blows from the land towards the sea.
- Offshore type of wind harvesting came into existence nearly 100 years after
the invention of onshore wind energy.
- Onshore brings moisture with them and they blow during day time while off
shore winds are the kind of dry wind that blow during night time.
- Offshore winds are also caused because of the difference in temperature
and pressure of the land and the sea or water body.
- There are pros and cons for these types of winds.
- Offshore and onshore winds are stronger and steadier winds, they usually
have less turbulence and less vertical shear and these winds are more
spatially consistent.
• But with these advantages there comes disadvantages as well. Offshore and
onshore winds are hard to measure.
• The speed of offshore wind is higher and more constant on the other hand
they are harder to maintain and access.
• As we know that the onshore has moderate speed wind turbines while
offshore has high wind speed turbines.
• Onshore wind can cause damage to human life while it is unlikely in case of
offshore winds.
• Onshore wind causes low erosion on the other hand high erosion is caused by
offshore wind.
• During daytime, that comparing the water and the land, land warms faster nd
water is cool. Warmer air wants to rise, so it will form a low pressure system
on land and that air will start to rise up. Over colder water, there will be high
pressure system. So it is cooler, then the air is going to be sinking.
• Now we have a gradient in pressure. So pressure gradient is going to be
causing those winds to go from the high to the low. [Link] flows from sea
to land. So in daytime there is onshore wind.
• During night time, water tends to keep that heat longer, retains more heat.
The land actually is going to be getting cold as soon as the sun goes down. It
really starts to get colder. So at night time, land starts to get colder and that
water retains some of the heat, water stays warmer then we have slow
pressure system out over the water and high pressure system on land. i.e. air
is going to start come down. Therefore at night time, wind flows from land to
sea water. That wind is called offshore breezes or wind.
• Wind and its properties –
- The circulations of air in the atmosphere is caused by the non- uniform
heating o the earths surface by the sun. The air immediately above warm
area expands, it is forced upward by cool, denser air which flows in from
surrounding areas causing wind.
- The nature of the terrain, the degree of cloud and the angle of the sun in
the sky are all factors which influences this process.
- The motion of air along that is parallel to the surface of the earth is called
wind. Moving air is called wind.
- Air moves from regions of higher pressure to the lower pressure.
- Wind fills up the given space like any gas
- Wind has weight due to acceleration gravity and mass.
- Flowing wind tends to exert pressure
- Wind has two attributes – direction and magnitude.
Wind turbines in grid
• Electricity produced in wind turbines is transported to the consumer via a
series of transmission and distribution networks. Each component of the
network changes the voltage of the electrical power to optimize its
transition to the next part of the network. Due to the structure of these
networks it is currently not possible to buy wind energy alone.
• Wind turbines capture the kinetic energy in wind and convert it into
electrical power. Large blades on the turbine rotor are connected to an
electrical generator via a shaft and a series of gears. Wind blowing past the
blades causes the shaft to rotate. In the generator, the rotating shaft causes
a set of magnets to turn about a coil of wire to create an electric current
due to electromagnetic induction.
Turbine to Transmission Grid –
•Electricity from the wind turbine generator
travels to a transmission substation where it is
converted into extremely high voltage, between
155,000 and 765,000 volts, for long distance
transmission on the transmission grid. This grid
comprises a series of power lines that connect
the power sources to demand centers.
Grid to Consumer -
•Power substations at the demand centers
convert the high voltage power from the
transmission grid to a lower voltage power,
typically in the region of 10,000 volts. From here
it moves into a smaller distribution grid to which
consumers are connected to this grid via another
transformer. Here the distribution voltage is
converted to the desired consumer voltage.
•
WIND PROJECTS IN INDIA
• Wind power generation capacity in India has significantly increased
in recent years. As of 31 March 2023, the total installed wind power
capacity was 42.633 gigawatts (GW), the fourth largest installed
wind power capacity in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly
spread across the southern, western, and northwestern states.
• The largest Wind Farm in India is the Muppandal Wind Farm in
Tamil Nadu.
• Tamil Nadu does the maximum installation of wind energy in India.
Gujarat is just behind Tamil Nadu with a 19% share in wind energy.
• Muppandal Wind Farm
• The Energy Development Agency of Tamil Nadu created the project in Muppandal of
the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest wind farm in India, with an
operational capacity of 1,500 MW. It is also the third-largest onshore wind farm in
the world.
• Jaisalmer Wind Park
• The second largest wind farm in India is the Jaisalmer wind park. This project is
situated in Rajasthan, Western India’s Jaisalmer district. The initiation of the project
happened in August 2001. The company Suzlon Energy built this wind farm. India’s
second-largest active onshore wind farm is at the Jaisalmer Wind Park.
• Vankusawade Wind Park
• The third largest wind farm in India is Vankusawade wind park. It was installed 40
kilometers away from Satara town in Maharashtra. Vankusawade Wind Park’s wind
farm is situated 1,150 meters above the Koyna Reservoir on a high mountain
plateau.