This book argues that the drawbacks of wind power far outweigh the advantages. Wind turbines cannot generate enough energy to reduce global CO2 levels to a meaningful degree; what's more, wind power cannot generate a steady output, necessitating back-up coal and gas power plants that significantly negate the saving of greenhouse gas emissions. In a
Covers basics of wind-electric systems, water-pumping windmills, and a wind furnace. Focuses on how to build appropriate windmills in many different situations, on all kinds of sites.
Wind Power Generation is a concise, up-to-date and readable guide providing an introduction to one of the leading renewable power generation technologies. It includes detailed descriptions of on and offshore generation systems, and demystifies the relevant wind energy technology functions in practice as well as exploring the economic and environmental risk factors. Engineers, managers, policymakers and those involved in planning and delivering energy resources will find this reference a valuable guide, to help establish a reliable power supply address social and economic objectives. - Focuses on the evolution and developments in wind energy generation - Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of the systems with concise diagrams and accessible explanations
The energy transition has begun. To succeed - to replace fossil fuels with wind and solar power - that process must be fair. Otherwise, mounting popular protest against wind farms will prolong carbon pollution and deepen the climate crisis. David Hughes examines that anti-industrial, anti-corporate resistance, drawing insights from a Spanish village surrounded by turbines. In the lives of these neighbours - freighted with centuries of exploitation - clean power and social justice fit together only awkwardly. Proposals for a green economy, the Green New Deal, or Europe's Green Deal require more effort. We must rethink aesthetics, livelihood, property, and, most essentially, the private nature of wind resources. Ultimately, the energy transition will be public and just, or it may not be at all
Helps readers understand and appreciate what the history of wind power can teach us about technology innovation and provides the implications for both wind power today and its future This book takes readers on a journey through the history of wind power in order to show how the technology evolved over the course of the twentieth century and where it may be headed in the twenty-first century. It introduces and examines broad themes such as government funding of wind power, the role of fossil fuels in wind power development, and the importance of entrepreneurs in wind power development. It also discusses the lessons learned from wind power technology innovation and makes them relevant to the understanding of wind power today and in the future. Spanning the entire history of wind power (1888-2018), The Wind Power Story: A Century of Innovation that Reshaped the Global Energy Landscape provides balanced coverage of each decade as well as the important wind power technology innovations that occurred during that time. Compelling from the first page to the last, it offers chapters covering the pioneers of wind power; the age of small wind; wind power in the wake of war; wind power’s use across Europe; government-funded research programs; how Denmark reinvented wind power in the 1970s; the California Wind Rush of the 1980s; wind power’s rise in Spain; America’s wind power starting in the 1990s; India’s wind power path; the wind power surge in China; the globalization of wind power; and much more. In addition, this text: Spans the entire global history of wind power, while weaving together both the historical context and the technical details of wind power innovation Provides historical context for wind power developments and explains the evolution of wind turbine technology in an easy-to-understand manner Discusses the policy, technology, and market evolution of wind power in commonly understood language Offers a review of the surrounding power technology, policy, and market environment throughout the history of wind power A book that both specialists and non-specialists can read in order to understand and appreciate the past, present, and future of wind power technology, The Wind Power Story: A Century of Innovation that Reshaped the Global Energy Landscape will be of great interest to any engineer and any interested readers looking to understand wind power technologies, markets, and policies in one book.
A practical, authoritative guide to the assessment of wind resources for utility-scale wind projects authored by a team of experts from a leading renewable energy consultancy The successful development of wind energy projects depends on an accurate assessment of where, how often, and how strongly the wind blows. A mistake in this stage of evaluation can cause severe financial losses and missed opportunities for developers, lenders, and investors. Wind Resource Assessment: A Practical Guide to Developing a Wind Project shows readers how to achieve a high standard of resource assessment, reduce the uncertainty associated with long-term energy performance, and maximize the value of their project assets. Beginning with the siting, installation, and operation of a high-quality wind monitoring program, this book continues with methods of data quality control and validation, extrapolating measurements from anemometer height to turbine height, adjusting short-term observations for historical climate conditions, and wind flow modeling to account for terrain and surface conditions. In addition, Wind Resource Assessment addresses special topics such as: Worker safety Data security Remote sensing technology (sodar and lidar) Offshore resource assessment Impacts of climate change Uncertainty estimation Plant design and energy production estimatio Filled with important information ranging from basic fundamentals of wind to cutting-edge research topics, and accompanied by helpful references and discussion questions, this comprehensive text designed for an international audience is a vital reference that promotes consistent standards for wind assessment across the industry.
The wind is a fickle source of power. Windspeeds are frequently too low to be of any practical use, so that windpower has generally remained a marginal resource. Since the inception of windpower around 1000 AD, technology has been deployed to obtain the most economical power from wind. The author traces its technical evolution, concentrating on the growth in understanding of wind and charting crucial developments in windmill design. The history of the windmill is focused on North Western Europe, drawing on the origins of the first horizontal windmills in Persia, Tibet and China. Industrial applications such as in textiles, papermaking and mining are examined. Gradually, windmills were improved but were finally eclipsed by steam engines in the nineteenth century due to increased levels of industrialisation. The book concludes with a look at the recent re-emergence of windpower as a viable source of power in the wake of the energy crisis.
Wind power is developing rapidly, in terms of both the number of new installations and in interest from stakeholders including policy-makers, NGOs, research scientists, industry and the general public. Unlike the majority of other texts on wind power, which are written primarily for engineers or policy analysts, this book specifically targets those interested in, or planning to develop, wind power projects. Having outlined wind power basics and explained the underlying resource and technology, the author explores the interactions between wind power and society, and the main aspects of project development, including siting, economics and legislation. This book will be an essential reference for professionals developing new sites, government officials and consultants reviewing related applications, and both specialists and non-specialists studying wind power project development.
This textbook is intended to provide an introduction to the cross-disciplinary field of wind engineering. It includes end-of-chapter tutorial sections (solutions manual available) and combines both academic and industrial experience.
