Definition
Basic
Wind energy is the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind energy is primarily used to generate electricity. Simply stated, a wind turbine is the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity.
Commodification
Turbines catch the wind's energy with their propeller-like blades. Wind turbines, like windmills, are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more aboveground, they can take advantage of the faster and less turbulent wind. Usually, two or three blades are mounted on a shaft to form a rotor.
History
Origin
Since early recorded history, people have been harnessing the energy of the wind. Wind energy propelled boats along the Nile River as early as 5000 B.C. By 200 B.C., simple windmills in China were pumping water, while vertical-axis windmills with woven reed sails were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East.
By the 11th century, people in the Middle East were using windmills extensively for food production; returning merchants and crusaders carried this idea back to Europe. Aside from being used by boats for transportation, wind energy was originally used to grind grain and pump water. This technique was later developed further by the Dutch and used to drain lakes and marshes.
Popular Use
The first wind mill build for the purpose of creating electricity was built in the late 1800’s in Scotland. In the following decades the technique was refined and the early 1900’s the idea of using wind energy to bring energy to rural areas in Denmark arose. Large scale wind energy in the scale that we know it today dates back to the energy crisis in the 1970’s where several countries started investing heavily in renewable energy sources.
Money Involved
Turnover and Jobs
The wind sector in 2009 had a turnover of 50 billion Euros and employed 550,000 persons worldwide, while the installation of wind farms continued to grow globally.
Use
Primary
Wind is primarily used to generate electricity and the potential of Wind energy in this regard is very promising. However, despite the dramatic increase in global installed wind capacity wind energy still only accounts for a very small percentage of overall generated electricity. According to recent numbers, wind energy only accounts 1.5% of global energy production.
Alternative Energy
Production
Step 1 - Construction
A wind turbine is composed of several composite parts; but the blades, made of fiber-reinforced epoxy or unsaturated polyester, represent the largest use of material. Other turbine parts made of polyester include the nacelle (housing for the gearbox, generator, and other components) and the hub.
To reduce the cost of wind energy, developers want to maximize the amount of wind power they can capture. This has spurred demand for turbines with larger MW capacity and a corresponding increase in blade length. Over the last decade, average wind turbine capacity has doubled, thus cutting by 50% the number of turbines and blades necessary to generate a certain amount of power. The average turbine generating capacity is moving from 1.5 MW to 2 to 2.5 MW.
Many industry observers believe larger turbines will require carbon fiber to provide the necessary stiffness and light weight. Global carbon-fiber use in wind power today [2008] is only about 10 million to 12 million lb/yr, vs. over 200 million lb of glass. At a price of $10 to $13/lb, carbon fiber costs 15 to 20 times more than E-glass.
Step 2 - Transportation
Since the first wind mills, one of the biggest problem areas for wind energy, has been logistics. Turbines, which are typically shipped as three separate components and assembled on site, can weigh an average of about 65 tons. The space required to transport a typical turbine is about 13 times the volume of an ordinary tractor-trailer rig. Towers and bases are also exceptionally heavy. Blades are relatively lightweight but unusually long, some longer than 120 yards.
All that makes it very expensive for manufacturers to ship the parts necessary to harness the wind. In some cases, transportation expenses can be as high as 25 percent of the total cost of the machine component itself.
Step 3 - Distribution
It is impossible to optimally aggregate large-scale wind power without a suitably interconnected grid. In this context, the grid plays a crucial role in aggregating the various wind farm outputs installed at a variety of geographical locations, with different weather patterns. The larger the integrated grid - especially beyond national borders - the more pronounced this effect becomes.
Challenges
Competitiveness
Wind power must compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis. Depending on how energetic a wind site is, the wind farm may or may not be cost competitive. In certain areas of the world, wind projects can now compete on equal footing with coal but in most places subsidies are still required for wind energy to be economically viable.
Location
Wind turbines are most efficient in open spaces, where they are highly visible (Visually harming the landscape). It has also been suggested that wind turbines contribute to noise pollution.
Good wind sites are often located in remote locations, far from cities where the electricity is needed. Transmission lines must be built to bring the electricity from the wind farm to the city.
Possibilities
Clean Energy
Wind energy is fueled by the wind, so it's a clean fuel source. Wind energy doesn't pollute the air like power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. Wind turbines don't produce atmospheric emissions that cause acid rain or greenhouse gasses.
Low Cost
Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies available today, costing between 4 and 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending upon the wind resource and project financing of the particular project.
Key Countries
Installed Wind Power Capacity
(in megawatts, 2010)
1. China - 41,800
2. USA - 40,200
3. Germany - 27,214
4. Spain - 20,676
5. India - 13,064
One megawatt is equivalent to the energy produced by about 10 automobile engines.
Key Companies
Percentage of Global Market
(2009)
1. VESTAS (Denmark) - 12.5%
2. GE Wind Energy (USA) - 12.4%
3. Sinovel (China) - 9.2%
4. Enercon (Germany) - 8.5%
5. Goldwind (China) - 7.2%
Prospects
Outlook
Electricity generated by wind has the potential to meet 12 percent of global overall power demand by 2020, and the proportion could rise to 22 percent by 2030.
Sustainability
Overall
The Wind energy field is by nature closely linked to the Profit, People, Planet with the traits and focus of renewable energy in general.
Global Compact
At the current time, VESTAS is the only of the five biggest wind energy companies that is represented in Global Compact.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Four of the five biggest companies have specific CSR policies that are clearly visible when using their websites.
Bottom of the Pyramid
After extensive research, no large-scale Bottom of the Pyramid initiatives involving wind companies have been found.
Initiatives
Early in 2011 VESTAS has launched a new consumer label named WindMade. The idea behind the label is that it will allow potential customers to see the percentage of wind energy used by a given company. VESTAS will work side by side with among others PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bloomberg in securing the quality of the label.
Miscellaneous
Further Information
“In 2010 the 600,000 workers of the wind industry put up a new wind turbine every 30 minutes – one in three of those turbines was erected in China,” said Sven Teske, senior energy expert at Greenpeace International.
“By 2030, the market could be three times bigger than today, leading to a 202 billion euro ($282.46 billion) investment. A new turbine every seven minutes – that’s our goal,” he continued.
China has been doubling its installed wind power capacity each year since 2005. By 2020, total wind power generation is expected to reach 150 gigawatts, or three times the total wind power capacity of Europe.
The fact that that wind power can be used to propel ships is nothing new but the concept has been reinvented by several companies in the later years. One example is SkySails, a company that retrofits ships with giant kites and promises to be able to cut up to 35% of annual fuel costs for shipping companies.
Transition to Globalisation
From Mine to Wind Turbine: The Rare Earth Cycle
Rare earth elements have become essential components for building smartphones, wind turbines and electric cars. Before manufacturers can use the material extracted from the ground, it must go through a complex and expensive process.
Globalisation > Economy > Raw Materials
Transition to Tools
China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy
China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year. China has also leapfrogged the West in the last two years to emerge as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels.
Tools > Institutions > National > China > Dom. Policies > Economy > Energy > Renewable
Transition to Actors
World Wind Energy Association
WWEA, World Wind Energy Association, is an international non-profit association embracing the wind sector worldwide, with members in 90 countries. WWEA works for the promotion and worldwide deployment of wind energy technology.
Actors > Civil society > NGOs > Energy
WWEA (TJEK NYT)
