Transcript Renewable energy

Wind energy and its significance
in the Allgaeu
Wind power plays a major role in the sector of
renewable energies. It has always been used to
make something easier, like grinding corn to get
flour. This was done in big mills. Today, wind
energy is produced in windmills and it has become
a profitable renewable energy source.
1. Wind hits the blades
Nacelle Generator
2. Rotation is
transmitted into the
nacelle
3. This movement is
transferred by a
generator into electric
current
4. Then, the electric
current is converted
into high voltage
electricity
5. Lastly, it‘s fed to the
national system
Each windmill has a two control systems. One
intern and one extern control system.
- Intern: It always turns the blades in the best
direction to the wind and stops the blades if the
wind speed is too fast.
- Extern: Employees overwatch the functions of the
windmill and can stop it if necessary.
Onshore windmills
-
Offshore windmills
Onshore windmills:
-
They stand on the ground
-
Their output varies with their size
Offshore windmills:
-
They are built into the water on the underwater
ground
New, very little onshore windmill types:
- They can be built on houses, or in a
garden
- They are very quiet
- They can produce energy out of every
breath of wind
Example:
The project which can be seen in the
first picture is called ‘Quiet revolution‘
and was developed by RWE Innogy.
- Renewable und always available
- Very clean, because there’s no CO2 emission
- Windmills are recyclable
- New jobs are provided
-
Windmills can be built
on very little space
fast (in 4-10 months)
If someone does not live next to windmills, it is
easy for him/her to support them, but from the
point of view of someone who lives right besides a
windmill, there appear some negative aspects.
- They cause noise
- They disfigure the landscape
-
They cast a big shadow which can cause physical
stress
- They endanger flying objects
- You need many of them to produce enough energy
- They transmit energy directly at the windmill
- At the moment there are 14 windmills in the Allgaeu
- They produce about 35 GWh/a
- One windmill costs € 2 mn and more
- The life cycle is about 25 years
- They produce from 330 kW to 5 MW per hour
- They produce energy at a wind speed of 4-25 m/s
The target of the study, which was done by the
AÜW (the biggest energy supplier in the Allgaeu),
was to figure out, if it is possible to get all the
energy needed in the Allgaeu from regional
renewable energies.
The result:
Restricting factors:
- The study area:
The Allgaeu without ist natural reserves and the
exclusion of a large territory
(almost half of the Allgaeu).
- Technical potential:
The part of an area, which can be exploited under
legal, ecological, physical, technical and non-technical
restrictions.
The economic potential is
the part of the technical potential which can be
used economically. That means, considering the
capital available, the interest rate and the price of
the energy source.
In regard of these factors:
49 more windmills, producing 260 GWh/a, could
be built and used conveniently.
However, the realization of this project is nearly
not possible, because of too high costs.
Mr. Einsiedler:
-
is a very important man in the sector of
renewable energies
-
has already built 12 of the 14 windmills (the
other 2 belong to the AÜW)
-
wants to build many more
-
also runs 4 biogas plants together with his
brother
About 700 people are involved in his projects
Possible ways to get more independent from
ecologically harmful energies:
- Offshore wind parks
- Onshore wind parks
- Repowering of old windmills (refit old windmills)
- New innovative windmills like the
Quiet Revolution
Sources:
Interview with Mr. Einsiedler on 10 Jan. 2010
The “EZA” in Kempten
Websites:
http://www.abc-alternative-energy.de/index.html, 24 Jan. 2010
http://www.multibrid.com/index.php?id=9, 31 Jan. 2010
http://www.auew.de/index.php?plink=peesa, 30 Jan. 2010
http://www.eon.com/graphics/visuals/vis_windFunktionsweise_graf.gif
http://wind-energie.de, 24 Jan. 2010