WIND ENERGY AND ITS SCOPE IN INDIA

By: Miss. Sonam Aghav (2nd year Diploma)

Government Polytechnique College, Aurangabad

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Abstract:
This paper deals with the study of wind energy technology and its use in India. Also this
paper deals with the reason why the whole world is now appreciated for the use of Renewable
Energy Sources (RES) and Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs).The paper also deals
with the various advantages of use of wind energy technology.
Wind energy, with an average growth rate of 30%, is the fastest growing source of
renewable energy in the world. India occupies the fifth place in the world in wind energy
generation after USA, Germany, Spain, and China and has an installed capacity of more than
9756 MW as of January 31, 2009.

Keywords:- Renewable Energy Source, Wind Energy Technology, etc.

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Introduction:-

Being a tropical country, India is generally endowed with Renewable Energy Sources such as
1)Solar energy , 5)Hybrid System

2)Wind energy; 6)Geothermal Power;

3)Biomass energy

4)Small hydro energy

Introduction to Wind Energy Technology:-

Wind power is actually another form solar energy. As the sun heats air, land and water on the
surface of the earth, different areas absorb heat at different rates; the resulting temperature

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differentials create water and air movement , manifesting themselves as winds and ocean
currents that help to keep the world running with relatively stable climate and precipitation
conditions. The terms wind energy or wind power describes the process by which the wind is
used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in
the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such
as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into
electricity

Energy security and sustainable development are high in the global agenda
due to the impact of volatile energy prices, high demand for energy security, and concerns
over environmental sustainability and the global climate change. New and renewable energy
technologies are considered to be one of the viable options to meet the challenge of achieving
sustainable development while conserving natural resources that have been depleted due to
the rapid growth in population, urbanization, and fossil fuel consumption. The renewable
electricity generation capacity reached an estimated 240 GW worldwide in 2007, which
represents 5% of the global power capacity and 3.4% of the global power generation. The
largest component of renewable generation capacity is wind power, which grew by 29%
worldwide in 2008 to reach an estimated 121 GW. The impetus behind wind power
expansion has come increasingly from the urgent need to combat global climate change. Most
countries now accept that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be drastically slashed in
order to avoid environmental catastrophe. Wind energy not only offers both a power source
that completely avoids the emission of carbon dioxide, the main GHG, but also produces
none of the other pollutants associated with either fossil fuel or nuclear generation. The
Indian government by 2012 expects renewable energy to contribute 10% of the total power
generation capacity. India is now the fifth largest wind market in the world13 despite the fact
that the total installed capacity of wind power projects still remains far below from their
respective potential (<20%).

Wind Energy Estimation:-

From the concept of kinetic it is known that a flowing cross-section of air possesses energy
by virtue of its velocity. A device like sail or propeller which slows down due to interaction
with the mass of moving cross-section of air essentially extracts a part of the flowing kinetic
energy to mechanical energy. If the incoming rate of kinetic energy of a flowing wind stream
is K.Ei then

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 K.Ei = ½ mvi2
i.e Ptot = ½ mvi2
where vi is the incoming wind velocity and m is the mass flow rate and can be given as
m = ρA Vi
therefore Ptot = ½ ρAVi3
The total power of awind stream is directly proportional to the cube of its flowing velocity,
wind density and the intercepted cross sectional area. Thus small increase in wind speeds can
significantly have increase in the power extracted. Power available also varies depending on
the density of air which can be assumed as equal to 1.225kg/m3 at sea level.

A = π/4 D2 the equation for total power can be written as

Ptot = (ρ/2) (π/4)D2V3
This equation states that the total power available varies according to the square of the
diameter of rotor. Thus for the fixed wind velocity at a site, there will be a four times increase
in Ptot if the rotor diameter is doubled.

Maximum Power:-
Obviously the physical design of a wind turbine are such that only fraction of the available
wind can be converted into useful wind power.
And therefore the equation giving the maximum power that can be generated from wind can
be given as
Pmax = (8/24) ρAVi3

Maximum Theoretical Efficiency:-

The fraction of the free flow wind power that can be extracted by a rotor is called power
coefficient of the turbine.
Thus, Power Coefficient (ήmax) = Power required at the wind rotor/ Total power available in
the wind.
ήmax = Pmax / Ptot = 16/27 = 0.5926
In evaluating the performance of wind energy conversion systems (WECS), it is to be borne
in mind that a wind turbine can only convert maximum of 59.26% of the total available wind
power.

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Wind Energy Technology:-
Wind has considerable amount of kinetic energy when blowing at high speeds. This kinetic
energy when passing through the blades of the wind turbines is converted into mechanical
energy and rotates the wind blades and the connected generator, thereby producing
electricity. A wind turbine primarily consists of a main tower, blades, nacelle, hub, main
shaft, gearbox, bearing and housing, brake, and generator. The main tower is 50–100 m high.
Generally, three blades made up of fiber reinforced polyester are mounted on the hub, while
in the nacelle the major parts are housed. Under normal operating conditions, the nacelle
would be facing the upstream wind direction. The hub connects the gearbox and the blades.
Solid high carbon steel bars or cylinders are used as main shaft. The gearbox is used to
increase the speed ratio so that the rotor speed is increased to the rated generator speed; it is
the most critical component and needs regular maintenance. Oil cooling is employed to
control the heating of the gearbox. Gearboxes are mounted over dampers to minimize
vibration. Failure of gearbox may put the plant out of operation for an entire season as spares
are often not available. Thus, new gearless configurations have become attractive for wind
plant operators. Figure presents a schematic of a wind turbine. Wind turbines have a design
lifetime of 20–25 yr, with their operation and maintenance costs typically about 3%–5% of
the cost of the turbine. The current annual production capacity of domestic wind turbines is
about 2500 MW, which is expected to grow by 10 000 MW until 2010.32 For grid-interactive
power, two types of wind turbines, viz., stall regulated and pitch regulated, are deployed in
the country. The stall regulated wind turbines have fixed rotor blades, whereas pitch
regulated wind turbines have adjustable rotor blades that change the angle of attach
depending on the wind speed.

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 Fig. Schematic of Wind Turbine

Types of Rotors used:-

Today's wind turbines are much more lightweight than the turbines used on windmills of old.
The wind turbine is usually standard in design, consisting of three rotor blades. The energy
output of a wind turbine is determined largely by the length of the blades, which installers
and engineers call "sweep."

The most popular turbine design is the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). There are
also vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT), a sort of "egg-beater" design that also requires the
use of guy wires. The HAWT is more practical and popular than the VAWT, and that is the
assumed focus of most wind turbine discussions (as it is here).

With the horizontal axis, there are two ways of positioning the turbine, either upwind or
downwind:

 A horizontal upwind turbine, the wind hits the turbine blade before it hits the tower
 A horizontal downwind turbine, the wind hits the tower first.

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Setting up a wind turbine:-

A site where average wind speed is 20 miles/hr might generate twice as much power as a site
where average wind speed is only 15 miles/hr.

Once you have decided that you are going to set up a wind turbine on your property, the
following factors may also require your attention. Always remember that higher is better:
ideally, your turbine should be thirty feet above any obstacles, with at least 300 feet of clear
area around it.

 Wind consistency. An ideal wind turbine site has stable high speeds. Instability can
put extra stress on the tower and other turbine elements.
 Noise. There is some remaining prejudice against wind power regarding the noise of
turbines. Innovations over the last few years have made wind turbines far less noisy
than those built in the early days of wind power. However, if this is still a concern,
you may want to be careful to choose a site away from residences.
 Safety. Show proper concern for safety, using fencing and warning signs
 Environmental impact. Be aware of animal habitats nearby. Similar to the perceived
problem of noise, there is some largely unfounded prejudice against wind, in this case
over deaths of small birds. Studies show that bird mortality is negligible due to wind
farms. However, be aware of the animals and botany around your wind tower micro
site.
 Zoning. Of course, you will need to know the zoning bylaws and other restrictions
related to the situating of your wind turbine.
 Aesthetics. Of course, this is a last concern, but if you can blend your turbine with the
landscape or place several wind turbines in an eye-pleasing manner, this could draw
positive attention to your wind energy system.

Potential in India:-

India’s wind power potential has been assessed at 45 000 MW. If this is used potentially,
India could rank among world top countries in energy production from wind.

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The Installed Capacity in India:-

The Indian wind energy sector has an installed capacity of 10,242.3 MW (as on March 31,
2009). In terms of wind power installed capacity, India is ranked 5th in the World

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Year Wise Capacity Addition in India:-

Benefits of Wind Energy:-

 One of the best and most valuable advantages of wind energy is that it is totally
pollution free.
 Wind energy is inexhaustible. As long as winds blow on earth, this energy will always
be there for us to harness.
 As we use more and more of wind energy, less and less fossil fuels will be burnt.
This, in effect, means less pollution.
 Wind energy can be harnessed anywhere and everywhere in the world, unlike fossil
fuels that are available only in some countries.
 Harnessing wind energy is very cheap as compared to the fossil fuels that have
skyrocketing prices.
 Unlike fossil fuels, wind does not take ages to be made. It is always readily available.
 Since wind is free, the price of wind power is stable. This is unlike energy from fossil
fuel powered sources, whose prices may vary considerably.

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  Wind energy serves as the perfect mode of electricity for remote areas that cannot be
connected to the main electricity grid.
 Harnessing wind energy can help create jobs in numerous areas, such as
manufacturing, construction and environmental management services.
 The land on which a wind mill is set up can still be used for other purposes, such as
cattle grazing.

References:-

1) Ishan Purohit and Pallav Purohit, Wind energy in India: Status and future prospects,
JOURNAL OF RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY 1, 042701_ 2009_.
2) S. Chakrabarti and D. Mukherjee, “Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Systems”
3) Wind Power Programme in India by Consolidated Energy Consultants Ltd. _See
http://www.windpowerindia.com/ statstate.html accessed on April 10, (2009).
4) GOI, National Action Plan on Climate Change, Prime Minister’s Council on Climate
Change, Government of India _GOI_, New Delhi, 2008 _see
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/sites /cse/files/7_11.pdf_.