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!