Royd Moor wind farm, Penistone, South Yorkshire

Aim: HOW MUCH ENERGY CAN A WIND FARM GENERATE AND IT TAKES?

Wind Power Calculation
How much energy a wind farm or a wind turbine generates? wind farms are better forms of renewable energy . it is a excellent effort to preserve energy. Winds are better than most but some impacts eg.birds. Since wind farms consists of wind turbines and are made of moving objects which are generated by wind to supply power. wind is made out of small air molecules which have mass, all moving object contains kenetic energy and the equation for the kenetic energy is :

Kinetic Energy = 0.5 x Mass x Velocity2
where the mass is measured in kg, the velocity in m/s, and the energy is given in joules.

At sea level Air has a known density of around 1.23 kg/m3 approximately The turbine is rated at 5MW in 30mph (14m/s) winds so the mass of air hitting a wind turbine sweeps a area each second is as follows:
Mass/sec (kg/s) = Velocity (m/s) x Area (m2) x Density (kg/m3)
Approx: 9 watts of wind energy hitting the blade
And therefore, the energy per second in the wind hitting a wind turbine with a certain swept area is shown by simply replacing the MPS calculation into the standard kinetic energy equation given above resulting in the following vital equation:
Power = 0.5 x Swept Area x Air Density x Velocity3
Something like Wind Power = 0.5 x 12,470 x 1.23 x (14 x 14 x 14)
which gives us a wind power of around 21,000,000 Watts.
where Power is given in Watts (i.e. joules/second), the Swept area in square meters, the Air density in kilograms per cubic meter, and the Velocity in meters per second.
It is also said that if you double the swept area and the power output will increase by a factor of eight (2 x 2 x 2)!
the more turbines are connected in a large area, the slower and less variable the aggregate rate of change becomes

WHAT IT COST?
Advantages and disadvantages of wind and wind farms:
There are many advantages and disadvantages in using as the main source of renewable energy. Such as followes
Advantage:
• Depending on the area wind can cost 10% less then coal in other areas Wind is free,
• wind farms need no fuel Produces no waste or greenhouse gases.
• The land beneath can usually still be used for farming.
• Wind farms can be tourist attractions.
• A good method of supplying energy to remote areas
Constraints or Disadvantages
• The wind is not always predictable - some days have no wind in which case if the turbine has directional blades then it can be generated from which ever direction the wind comes.
• Suitable areas for wind farms are often near the coast, where land is expensive.
• Some people feel that covering the landscape with these towers is unsightly.
• Can kill birds - migrating flocks tend to like strong winds. Splat!
• Can affect television reception if you live nearby.
• Can be noisy. Wind generators have a reputation for making a constant, low, "swooshing" noise day and night, which can drive you nuts. An entire wind farm makes quite a racket!
Having said that, the small modern wind generators used on boats and caravans make hardly any noise, and as aerodynamic designs have improved, modern wind farms are much quieter.

What is renewable and non-renewable energy resources?
Renewable Energy Resources
are ones that is available till infinity.
Example:
Winds are continous, whether we use the energy or not.
So Wind power is a renewable energy resource.
Non-renewable sources will eventually run out. Example:
coal, oil they will eventually run out
So oil is NOT a renewable energy resource

Is Wind Power Renewable?
YES Wind power is renewable. Winds will keep on blowing, it makes sense to use them

Background

A brief article of How it works?

The wind blowes the propellor around. Which cause the generator to produce electricity. Building many of them in a farm could produce electricity. the bigger the farm the more wind it generates and the more wind it generates the more electricity it produce. The best areas to for wind farms are the area where more and strong wind is available at least at the wind speed of 25km/h such as open plains and between mountains beaches .

Sustainable technology issue: sustainable technology issue for this report/article is renewable energy via wind farm. The pramary message is that wind farms are the effective renewable energy sources. They are powered by natural wind so its 100 % natural and renewable. It is environmentaly friendly and so the environments benefit from it. It does not produce greenhouse gasses making it non hazardous to environment.

Many years ago, Britain was powered by water mills, windmills were used to grind flour and people burned wood to provide heat. Recently in TV interview a public lady said what does the government want us to do? Go back to the past? Start washing our clothes in the river? It might seem strange to many people that we’re looking back to the past to answer our energy needs for the future, but there are many good reasons for this.

The UK is responsible for around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions even though it only has 1% of the world's population. 3.86% of the total amount of electricity generated in the UK comes from renewable sources. All electricity suppliers in England and Wales have an obligation to purchase a proportion of their energy from renewable sources. Surveys have shown that more than 90% of the British public are in favour of renewable energy technologies Climate change is a truly global issue and is closely connected with the future of energy generation. Burning fossil fuels to make electricity produces greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide), which can make the Earth's temperature rise. This can lead to changes in weather patterns, which could mean an increase in droughts, tornadoes and flooding. Moreover, energy demand in the UK and worldwide continues to grow while the availability of fossil fuels is expected to decline. The need to develop long term sustainable and secure supplies is becoming increasingly important.

The Government recognizes the many benefits of green energy and is actively supporting the growth of renewable generation to tackle climate change and to encourage a more sustainable approach to energy use. It has set a target for 10% of electricity supplied in the UK from renewable energy sources by 2010. This is a demanding target – in 2003 renewable energy accounted for less than 4% of UK electricity supply.
The Government has put in place a number of measures to support the delivery of this objective, the most important of which is the Renewable Obligation. This places obligations on electricity retailers in England, Wales and Scotland to source an increasing proportion of the energy they supply from renewable sources.

There are two places wind farms can be plants offshore and onshore. technology is still in its infancy. Construction of wind farms offshore is more complicated than on land due
Less than 1% of the UK's seabed would be needed to site enough turbines to generate 40% of the UK’s electricity.
Onshore wind how ever could theoretically meet 80 per cent of our current electricity demand. A typical 2MW turbine generates enough electricity to meet the annual demand of over 1200 UK homes. In July 2004 there were 1,135 turbines in the UK.

About Royd Moor Wind Farm

Royd Moor windfarm is located at Penistone, South Yorkshire and consists of thirteen 500kW turbines with a maximum output of 6.5MW. The site is located approximately 6km north west of Penistone, above the A616 trunk road between Sheffield and Manchester. The turbines are set in two parallel, staggered rows of six and seven, on a ridge in hilly fell land lying 320m above sea level.

Project Company Yorkshire Windpower Limited

Assets Ovenden Moor and

Royd Moor Windfarms

Capacity O venden: 9.2MW
Royd: 6.5MW

Energy Source Wind

Technology Employed Ovenden: Twenty-three Vestas WD34 - 400kW wind turbines

Royd: Thirteen Bonus 500kW modified three bladed, horizontal axis, MkIII wind turbines

Royd: November 199350% EPR, 50% Powergen Renewables LtdRoyd: £6.3 million

Operation and Maintenance Ovenden: Operation and maintenance contract with Vestas

Royd: Operation and maintenance contract with Bonus Wind Turbine (UK)

Permits / Authorisations Conditional Planning Permission held for both sites

These turbines were completed in 1993 and are 35m in height to the hub and have a rotor diameter of 37m. The maximum output is 6.5 MW, equivalent to the annual energy required to power 3300 homes.

Conclusion: Technology is the product of engineering. Sustainable technology effect all of us as a citizen and so it is our duty as a student to start the job for a better future. A study during the 2006 California heat storm revealed that output from wind power significantly decreased as peak demand increased (due to greater air conditioning and other demands that stem from high temperatures).[8] However, "the development and expansion of well-functioning day-ahead and real time markets will provide an effective means of dealing with the variability of wind generation." [9]

Regardless of contribution to reliable capacity, any electricity produced by wind farms would replace fuel used at other power plants, which would help mitigate carbon emissions.

Investigation process and Resources

Further independent research regarding that project

To accomplish my report/project I will use the following resources, I will try to visit the place myself, of course I will take advantage of the electronic media such as e-mail, internet, also telephone conversation and interviews/questionnaire, journal and newspapers . I will use above all to investigate and analyze the usage of the wind farm i.e who use it?(primary contribution)who is the main beneficial ?i.e. local habitat? How is it benefited to or contributing towards renewable energy to meet government set target of reducing 20% CO2 bye 2020. Above all how is involve towards sustainable technology (renewable energy). how do you re use the power when the wind power is in sufficient? Is there some kind of way we can store this power and use it later? what could go wrong? what sort of problems could be experienced?

Personal relevance:

How is it relevant to me as a student? What dose sustainable technology And renewable energy mean to me? Renewable energy refers to wind solar geothermal biomass and other non-carbon producing energy . The increase uses of computers to study and usage of lights, mobile charger and t.v and many more gets me involve with renewable energy. Its not effecting me only as a student also as a citizen of the world . The whole habitat in the world is being affected and will be affected if it continues. If we as citizen of the world make a little effort to reduce reuse and recycle . we can present a clean future to the future generation. Wind cost less then coal and it makes up just ½ of 1% of our energy supply. I personally keep interests in how creatively the wind farms produce energy and how can I use the current technology to improve it and come out with a better idea of using it in the future.

References: thanks to: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/index.html
http://www.eprl.co.uk/assets/windpower/overview.html
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/wind.htm
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Royd+Moor+Wind+Farm&btnG=Google+Search&meta;=
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royd_Moor_Wind_Farm
http://wikipedia.org
university resources
journals and book
TV sky channel news
Many other websites.