BETTER TECHNOLOGY PROMOTES WIND POWER USE
BETTER TECHNOLOGY PROMOTES WIND POWER USE
On the 1920s and 1930s, farm families in the Midwest used wind to generate enough electricity to power their lights and electric motors. After rural electrification in the 1930s and 1940s, however, wind-generated electricity became much less common. Commercial interest in wind power began growing again in the 1970s when energy shortages forced utility companies to find other electricity sources. Technological advances that have cut production costs, the need to comply with clean air laws, and, most recently, concern about global warming also have spurred the interest of utilities in wind-generated electricity.
Because it's a renewable, combustion-free electricity source, wind power can play an important role in cutting emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming, says the the American Wind Energy Association. A single utility-scale wind turbine, by displacing electric power generated by fossil fuels, can prevent the emission of 5,000 tons of heat-trapping CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
Aeronautical engineering doctoral student Robyn Ramsay, whose research deals with improving the durability and aerodynamic performance of wind turbine rotors, agrees with the wind association. As its price continues to drop, wind power will become an important electricity source and will help reduce the levels of atmospheric CO2, she predicts.
"Wind power costs have dropped 50 percent over the past decade to 5 or 6 cents per kilowatt hour -- a price that's competitive with conventionally-produced electricity in states with high fuel costs," Ramsay says. "So you see more and more power companies in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states using wind power to supplement electricity produced in power plants."
On the other hand, wind power has yet to take hold in Ohio and other states that use ample supplies of cheap natural gas or coal to generate electricity costing 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Ramsay tests models of airfoils that represent cross-sections of turbine rotor blades in a subsonic wind tunnel at Ohio State's Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory. Her data may help other engineers design rotors that have the best aerodynamic performance and are least affected by insect debris.
"Insect debris changes the shape of rotors and can cut turbine power generation by up to 50 percent," Ramsay says. "In areas with little rain, crews with sprayer trucks wash turbine blades -- something that hikes electricity prices."
Besides advanced wind turbines, photovoltaic systems that convert solar energy into electricity and urban designs that take full advantage of sunlight and breezes also can put a dent in greenhouse gas emissions by reducing fossil fuel combustion needed to generate power.
"Urban design refers to the design of the built environment at any scale from a small green space between buildings to an entire neighborhood, for example," says Norman Booth, landscape architecture professor. "Anytime an urban environment is created, so are many microclimates - the climate around a very small, specific area such as immediately adjacent to a wall of a building. While they're small, microclimates have a big impact on the energy consumption of the building and the comfort of its occupants."
The orientation of a home on a site, as well as the site itself, can reduce by 20 to 30 percent the energy needed to heat or cool the structure. In the Midwest, people can reduce their utility costs by building a new home on that part of a site most exposed to the southern sun and protected from cold northwest winds that drive up winter heat consumption, Booth adds.
On the 1920s and 1930s, farm families in the Midwest used wind to generate enough electricity to power their lights and electric motors. After rural electrification in the 1930s and 1940s, however, wind-generated electricity became much less common. Commercial interest in wind power began growing again in the 1970s when energy shortages forced utility companies to find other electricity sources. Technological advances that have cut production costs, the need to comply with clean air laws, and, most recently, concern about global warming also have spurred the interest of utilities in wind-generated electricity.
Because it's a renewable, combustion-free electricity source, wind power can play an important role in cutting emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming, says the the American Wind Energy Association. A single utility-scale wind turbine, by displacing electric power generated by fossil fuels, can prevent the emission of 5,000 tons of heat-trapping CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
Aeronautical engineering doctoral student Robyn Ramsay, whose research deals with improving the durability and aerodynamic performance of wind turbine rotors, agrees with the wind association. As its price continues to drop, wind power will become an important electricity source and will help reduce the levels of atmospheric CO2, she predicts.
"Wind power costs have dropped 50 percent over the past decade to 5 or 6 cents per kilowatt hour -- a price that's competitive with conventionally-produced electricity in states with high fuel costs," Ramsay says. "So you see more and more power companies in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states using wind power to supplement electricity produced in power plants."
On the other hand, wind power has yet to take hold in Ohio and other states that use ample supplies of cheap natural gas or coal to generate electricity costing 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Ramsay tests models of airfoils that represent cross-sections of turbine rotor blades in a subsonic wind tunnel at Ohio State's Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory. Her data may help other engineers design rotors that have the best aerodynamic performance and are least affected by insect debris.
"Insect debris changes the shape of rotors and can cut turbine power generation by up to 50 percent," Ramsay says. "In areas with little rain, crews with sprayer trucks wash turbine blades -- something that hikes electricity prices."
Besides advanced wind turbines, photovoltaic systems that convert solar energy into electricity and urban designs that take full advantage of sunlight and breezes also can put a dent in greenhouse gas emissions by reducing fossil fuel combustion needed to generate power.
"Urban design refers to the design of the built environment at any scale from a small green space between buildings to an entire neighborhood, for example," says Norman Booth, landscape architecture professor. "Anytime an urban environment is created, so are many microclimates - the climate around a very small, specific area such as immediately adjacent to a wall of a building. While they're small, microclimates have a big impact on the energy consumption of the building and the comfort of its occupants."
The orientation of a home on a site, as well as the site itself, can reduce by 20 to 30 percent the energy needed to heat or cool the structure. In the Midwest, people can reduce their utility costs by building a new home on that part of a site most exposed to the southern sun and protected from cold northwest winds that drive up winter heat consumption, Booth adds.
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