Wind Energy: An Urban Green Energy

Wind Energy: An Urban Green Energy

Amman-Jordan
July 7, 2011

The growing demand on energy, accompanied with the increase in oil prices, and the dangerous effect generated from the fuel based power generators on environment, were it’s considered to be the main source of green house gases (GHG), the main reason of the problem of climate change (Global Warming), All of these factors increases the demand on finding and developing clean and renewable technologies for the generation of power.

Since the early times of history, man has used wind power, through the first mill recorded as long ago as the 6th century AD. The wind technology has developed over the years, were its been used to pump water, grinding grains, powering sawmills, and production of energy in the modern world time, and its considered to be the fastest growing energy sector worldwide especially in Europe.

Basically wind power is the generation of electricity out of the kinetic energy in wind, throughout the years wind technologies was in developing status in order to reduce the cost, and increase the efficiency of wind turbines.

Wind turbines produce electricity by using the natural power of the wind. Wind is a clean and sustainable source of power, were no harmful or dangerous emissions are produced and its will never run out as its replenished continuously by the sun.

Wind turbines are the natural development of old windmills. Wind turbines consist of three long blades rotates on a horizontal hub at the top of a steel tower. Wind turbines generates power in a simple way, were wind cause the rotation of the blades that turn a shaft inside the nacelle, which goes inside a gearbox. The gearbox multiply the rotation speed for the generator , which using a magnetic field in order to convert the kinetic power of rotation into an electric power. The generated power goes to a transformer which convert the voltage of the generated energy to the right voltage for the distribution system.

However the generation of energy out of wind is restricted to high wind speed were wind turbines start producing power at a wind speed of 3-4 meter per second (m/s), and the maximum generation of energy produces at 15 m/s, therefore this technology is not suitable for areas with low wind speed. For such areas a new technology have been developed in order to use low wind speeds, the new technology is sharing the same mechanism for the ordinary wind turbines but with variation in the shape of the windmill, the new technology uses a vertical wind turbines.

Vertical wind turbines have been developed in order to utilize the low speed of wind. The main feature of these turbines is the ability to be installed on roof tops in order to be used for residential, and commercial sectors, so it can be used inside cities on the top of any house or building.

Vertical wind turbines are easy to install, have low noise (some types with no noise), do not need maintenance, and can be used to generate power by houses to lower the energy bills or even being independent of energy grid. Therefore the saving that can be generated out of installation such a turbines can cover its cost in a few years. And help in lowering the use of fusel fuel.

Environment Knows no Borders.