Wind Energy

Wind Energy (or Wind Power) is the use movement of the wind (air flow) across a landscape to generate mechanical power or electricity through wind turbines. The mechanical Wind Energy or Wind Power can be used for boat, grinding grain, or pumping water as well as the generating electricity by converting this mechanical power into electricity power. The Wind Energy requires extensive areal coverage to produce significant amounts of electrical energy. 

Wind Farm is a group of wind turbines that is used for producing electricity in the same location. The Wind Farm can also be located offshore.

Offshore Wind Farm is the wind turbines installed at the offshore that is to generate the electricity. The Offshore Wind Farm can generate substantially more energy than onshore wind turbines because of higher, and more consistent wind speeds at the sea or ocean that may produce the capacity factors in the range of 50%.

Wind Power Plant consists of wind turbines, generators, and buildings for a common power producing system through a system of transformers, distribution lines, and substations.

Offshore Engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the design and construction of the natural resources (oil and gas, etc.) and offshore wind farm projects located in the ocean, and the distance from the coast can be near or far intended to work in a stationary position in the ocean environment. The Offshore Engineering is responsible for the development of the offshore works including from oil and gas exploration and extraction, and telecoms and power cabling, to wind farms, wave power, and offshore minerals mining, etc., in most economical and environmentally safe ways and maximising production. (Refer to the Upstream Engineering)

In 2022 wind electricity generation increased by a record 265 TWh (up 14%), reaching more than 2 100 TWh. This was the second highest growth among all renewable power technologies, behind solar PV. However, to get on track with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, which envisages approximately 7 400 TWh of wind electricity generation in 2030, the average annual generation growth rate needs to increase to about 17%. Achieving this will require increasing annual capacity additions from about 75 GW in 2022 to 350 GW in 2030. Far greater policy and private-sector efforts are needed to achieve this level of capacity growth, with the most important areas for improvement being facilitating permitting for onshore wind and cost reductions for offshore wind. (Source: IEA Tracking Wind Electricity)

Wind capacity additions reached almost 114 GW in 2020, almost doubling 2019 expansion. China alone accounted for two-thirds of global wind growth, with Chinese manufacturers supplying turbines for most of the country’s installations. At 80 GW, the 2021 wind market is expected to be 30% weaker than last year’s, although still significantly exceeding 2019 additions. We expect slightly lower onshore and offshore growth in 2022. Having reached a record 10% in 2019, the offshore share of total wind additions declined in 2020 but is forecast to rebound to a record-breaking 12% in 2021-2022. (Source: IEA Renewable Energy Market Update - Outlook for 2021 and 2022)

Annual net wind capacity additions are expected to reach 65 GW in 2020, 8% more than in 2019. Covid‑19 measures led to onshore construction activity slowing down from February to April due to supply chain disruptions and logistical challenges in many countries, but the offshore wind sector has been only mildly affected by delays caused by the Covid‑19 crisis due to long project lead times. For 2021, the forecast assumes a further acceleration of wind additions to 68 GW (7.3 GW offshore), driven by delayed onshore projects becoming operational as key countries in Europe and the United States have passed regulations providing flexibility for commissioning deadlines. In 2022, global annual installations return to the 2019 level due to the phase-out of incentives in major markets in the People’s Republic of China (“China”) and United States, which is partly offset by faster expansion in Europe. The share of offshore capacity in total wind additions reaches almost 15% in 2022 – 50% higher than in 2019 – thanks to acceleration in key European markets and large capacity becoming operational in nascent markets such as France, Korea and Viet Nam while the Chinese market slows. The United States is expected to join the ranks of the largest offshore markets after 2022. Annual global wind additions in 2023-25 could range from 65 GW in the main case and 100 GW in the accelerated case. Accelerating deployment will require the enhancement of policy support schemes, more investment in grids, eradication of social acceptance and permitting challenges, faster expansion of corporate PPAs and alleviation of regulatory uncertainties and off-taker risks in emerging markets. The share of offshore wind in total wind additions is expected to have increased further by 2025, reaching 20% as deployment in new markets gains momentum. (Source: IEA Wind Renewable 2020)

Onshore wind capacity additions are expected to reach 60 GW in 2020, 11% more than in 2019. Onshore wind developers and equipment manufacturers adopted to the “new normal” under Covid‑19 measures and accelerated construction activity in May after a slowdown in the first quarter of this year. As a result, the forecast has been revised upwards 26% from the May update. (Source: IEA Wind Renewable 2020)

Offshore wind capacity additions are forecast to reach 5.3 GW in 2020, 13% less than 2019 growth. The forecast remains unchanged from the May update, as the offshore wind industry has been largely shielded from the Covid‑19 crisis. For the first time, China accounts for over half of global offshore wind expansion, while European countries provide the remainder. (Source: IEA Wind Renewable 2020)

Anemometer is a device used for measuring the velocity of wind.

Average Wind Speed (or Velocity) is the mean wind speed over a specified period of time. (e.g., The gust speed and direction are defined by the maximum three second average wind speed occurring in any period. The overall wind intensity is defined by the average speed and direction over the ten minutes period leading up to the reporting time. A gale is defined as a surface wind of mean speed of 34-40 knots, averaged over a period of ten minutes.)

Mean Wind Speed is the arithmetic wind speed over a specified time period and height above the ground. (Refer to the Average Wind Speed)

Constant-Speed Wind Turbine is operated at a constant rotor speed per minute (RPM) that spins at the same generator/rotor speed during operation, regardless of the wind speed.

Darrius (Wind) Machine is a type of vertical-axis wind machine that uses to generate electricity from the energy carried in the wind.

Downwind Wind Turbine is a horizontal axis wind turbine in which the rotor placed on downwind of the tower.

Feather is the rotating blades of a propeller in such a way as to lessen the air or water resistance, in a wind energy conversion system, to pitch the turbine blades so as to reduce the lift capacity as a method of shutting down the turbine during high wind speeds.

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine is a wind turbine in which the axis of the rotor's rotation is parallel to the wind stream and the ground, and the main rotor shaft and electrical generator are at the top of a towers.

Leading Edge is 1) the most advanced position in an area of activity; 2) a wind energy conversion system, the area of a turbine blade surface that first comes into contact with the wind.

Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) is 1) the maximise power extraction algorithm under all conditions that is a technique used commonly with automatically operates wind turbines and the photovoltaic (PV) solar systems generator; 2) an electronic DC to DC converter that optimises the match between the solar array (PV panels), and the battery bank or utility grid.

Panemone is a type of vertical axis (drag type) wind turbine that can perform to any direction of the wind.

Pitch Control is the technology used to operate and control the angle of pitch. (e.g., a wind turbine, turntable)

Power Coefficient is the ratio of power produced by a wind energy conversion device to the available power in the fluid flow which is an aerodynamic efficiency for the energy extraction device.

Stall is 1) in the wind energy facility, a condition when the rotor stops turning; 2) a large table with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place.

Square Cube Law is 1) a scientific mathematical principle which describes the relationship between the volume and the surface area as an objective size increase or decrease, and the ratio between the areas and the volume is changing with size the properties of the object are changing with size; 2) the power available in the wind that is proportional to the cube of the wind velocity (when wind speed doubles, the power availability increases eight times).

Turbulence Intensity is the ratio of the turbulent velocity to the mean wind speed, and it represents the intensity of wind velocity fluctuation.

Variable Speed Wind Turbine is a turbine that allows the generator and rotor speed to vary proportional to wind speed in which the rotor speed increases and decreases with changing wind speed, producing electricity with a variable frequency.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is a type of wind turbine where the main rotor shaft is set transverse to the wind while the main components are located at the base of the turbine.

Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) or Device is a machine powered by the energy of wind that generates mechanical energy and then used to power machinery or operate an electrical generator.

Wind Generator is an electric generator situated on a tower and driven by the force of wind that is a Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) designed to produce electricity.

Wind Power Profile is the relationship between the power available from the wind and the wind speed.

Wind Resource Assessment is the process of characterising the wind resources that estimates the future energy production of a wind farm to the successful development of wind farms for a specific site or geographical area.

Wind Turbine is a device that converts the wind mechanical power (kinetic energy) to the generation of electrical power.

Yaw is a rotation of a horizontal axis wind turbine around its tower or vertical axis.