Transcript Document

Investigating Wind Energy
In the Southwest Washington Coastal Region
A Research Proposal Prepared for
Energy Systems & Climate Change
The Evergreen State College
Fall 2011-Winter 2012
Involving:
A focused analysis of wind energy prospects off-shore, directly
off-shore, and directly on-shore in the Long Beach corridor.
And,
An interactive exploration of potential efficiency amplification
(in Watts/square meter) using vertical axis wind-turbine
arrangements - via simulation and replication to-scale for
various sites and constraints.
By Zach Baugher
Why Clean Energy, Doesn’t it Cost
More than Coal and Natural Gas?
Global CO2 Output in 2007 : 29,888,121
(in thousands of metric tons/yr.)
By Region:
 The United States: 5,461,014
 China: 7,031,916
 Washington: 82,560
 Sweden: 49,050
% of Global Output:
18.11
23.33
. 28
.16
Global Rank:
2nd
1st
43rd
59th
 Our State (Pop. 6.5 million) was ranked 27th in the nation
for carbon emissions, yet 43rd among world nations.
 That’s just less than the entirety of the Philippines (Pop. 94
million) and more than 173 UN countries.
* 2007 Data
http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/CO2FFC_2007.pdf
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=749&crid=
So, Washington has an unfair impact on
CO2 emissions? I thought we were ahead
of the curve!
 Burning of Fossil Fuels is convenient and economical,
but does literally incalculable damage to delicate,
unpredictable natural systems via pollutants.
 Global climate change is approaching tipping points
across the board, those who are serious about human
survival are serious about stifling greenhouse gas
emissions now.
 Luckily, Washington has a vast untapped, clean, and
abundant natural resource – the task is changing our
means…
What Alternative Energy Sources Can
Our Region Provide?
 Just as one-hundred square miles of Arizona desert receives
enough of the Sun’s energy to meet the nations electricity
needs - the prevailing and energy-rich gulf stream hovering
over our state literally knocks at our doorstep with a wealth
of under-utilized energy potential.
 While wind generation grew by 24% globally in 2010, and
continues to expand both here and abroad, I intend to show
that the approach to wind farming in Eastern Washington is
less than ideal. More importantly, to demonstrate the many
advantages and feasibility of coastal wind farms.
And…
 Air with higher density exerts more force on the rotor
resulting in a greater output.
 Density is a function of altitude, temperature and pressure.
Density increases as altitude and temperature decrease.
 Therefore a wind turbine in colder climates will give more
energy output than a wind turbine in warmer climates. A
beachside turbine more than in the high plains, etc., given
an equivalent average wind speed.
Current Turbine and Farm Design
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs)
 Dominate the large-scale farm market on-shore and off
 Produce as much as 6-10 MWe per turbine
 Require up to 1 mile of spacing due to turbulence
 Average around 2-3 Watts per m2 of land use
 Typically 50-100 meters tall – able to tap into stronger winds
in more places
 Huge embodiment of materials and energy in construction
 (Approx. 335 tons of steel, 4.7 tons of copper, 1,200 tons of
concrete, 3 tons of Aluminum, and 2 tons of rare earth
minerals.)*
 High maintenance costs
 Present a serious threat to migrating fowl, ice throw, failures…
Current Turbine and Farm Design
Continued
 Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs)
 Gearbox and generator can be ground located for easy
access, tower supports less weight
 Effective in gusty, shifting winds
 Blades rotate slower and more visibly to birds, at lower
sound levels than HAWTs
 As ‘Not in My Back Yard’ is a real roadblock to turbine
proliferation in the U.S., VAWTs have tremendous
promise in minimal visual and environmental impact.
 New research shows 21 to 47 watts of power per m2 of
land use - even with 50% of the mechanical efficiency of
best HAWTs. (1)
Arriving at qualitative wind data for siting
and modeling a VAWT installation.
Most datasets available represent 50-80m, surely this varies from
ground-level velocities… so how do I estimate the energy density of
wind where VAWTs would typically operate?
 Finding more extensive ground-level data via Bureau of Land
Management, USGS, WindAlert.com, AMS…
 collecting my own readings at multiple locations and comparing with
all of the data records I can amass.
I’m interested in any other wind-data resources you can suggest!
 An average velocity could be derived for a locale, for further calculation
“the global wind power available 30 feet off the ground is greater
than the world's electricity usage, several times over” (1)
Determining Wind Energy and
Array productivity
A series of calculations will lead me to find that the wind power
density, P/A or wind power per unit area is:
Where ρ (Rho) represents air density and U its velocity.
Wind power (P) is thus proportional to the rotor area (A) swept
by wind.
This will provide a baseline figure to compare with results from
my scale representation.
Analyzing VAWT Arrangements
Deliverables
 Final Research Proposal
 Searchable excel wind/power potential-database
 Scale test bed/ Interactive visual aid
 Final Report to involved parties, class.
“…these results are a compelling call for further research on
alternatives to the wind-energy status quo.”
-J. Dabiri
Follow my latest findings via SlideCast at:
http://www.slideshare.net/ZBaugher
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for your time!