Wind turbines are one of the important sources of renewable green energy being developed for future energy needs. Technological improvements have reduced the cost of wind energy in recent years and a modern day wind turbine can produce 180 times more electricity per annum at  less than half the cost per KWh [or unit of electricity] than 20 years ago. Wind power is a clean green energy that cuts down on C02 emissions, decreases the need for  fossil fuels and can compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis.

The future of wind power is looking big and bright.

 

 

 

The UK has been one of the leading nations providing renewable energy through its offshore wind production and with over 29 offshore wind farms, it can generate over 5.1 GW of energy. It has confirmed its intention to invest another £730m towards increasing the amount of wind power capacity and the Prime Minister pledged that by 2030 – offshore wind farms will generate enough power for every home in the UK.
In March 2021 – RWE committed to making an investment of £3bn , in a  1.4 gigawatt offshore wind farm, called Sofia, off the UK coast .

 

Wind power has increased at an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 21% since 2000. Onshore wind power is expected to stimulate overall renewables growth in several regions over the next decade. For the next three decades, onshore wind power installations would need to have a year-on year CAGR of more than 7%. This implies that the total installed capacity of onshore wind would over treble by 2030 (to 1 787 GW) and nearly ten-fold by 2050, nearing 5 044 GW, compared to 542 GW in 2018. An average CAGR of more than 7% for the next 30 years is well below what has been achieved since 2000, with the historical average CAGR between 2000 and 2018 at around 21%. This shows the feasibility and ease of scaling up onshore wind installations in the next 30 years by continuing the trend.

 Also, a global onshore wind installed capacity of 5 044 GW by 2050 represents only a small part (5.3%) of the worldwide wind resource potential of at least 95 000 GW. The total land area required for global onshore installation of 5 044 GW by 2050 is between 1 008 800 km² and 1 664 520 km². At the beginning, Europe was the key enabler for worldwide wind installations and in 2010, it accounted for 47% of global onshore installations. Since then, rapid growth has happened in other regions, especially China with a CAGR of around 27%. By 2018, China outpaced Europe to become the largest onshore wind market with nearly one-third of the global installed capacity. The European Union had a record year in 2018 in terms of financing new wind capacity, with almost 16.7 GW of future wind power projects attaining Final Investment Decision. The wind power market, as of March 2020, is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7.9% during the forecast period 2020-2025

Global capacity from onshore wind energy is projected to reach nearly 750 GW by 2022, with wind capacity additions reaching 65 GW [including 5.3 GW offshore] in 2020; 8% more than in 2019.

By 2050 it is estimated that wind energy could save 200 billion gallons of water – which is equivalent to roughly 400,000 Olympic sized swimming pools – that would have been utilised by the electric power sector.

According to IRENA [the International Renewable Energy Agency] accelerated wind power deployment, together with increased electrification, it is possible to deliver one quarter [almost 6.3 gigatonnes] of annual C02 emission reductions by 2030.

Wind power could cater for more than a third of global power needs and therefore become the world’s foremost generation source.

Scientists are working on building turbines which can continue to generate electricity even in extremely high winds .

AIRBORNE TURBINES

Airborne wind energy systems use airfoils or turbines supported in the air by buoyancy or by aerodynamic lift. The purpose is to eliminate the expense of tower construction, and allow extraction of wind energy from steadier, faster, winds higher in the atmosphere. So far, no grid-scale plants have been constructed but many design concepts have been demonstrated. Researchers at MIT developed a Buoyant Airborne Turbine, a dirigible design that can reach altitudes up to 600m and can send electricity to storage or the grid. It has been described as a balloon that lifts a wind turbine .

HUMMINGBIRD TURBINE

It is estimated that wind farms are responsible  for possibly between 140,000 and 500,000 bird deaths and  about 888,000 bats being lost each year. This inspired companies like Tunisian startup Tyler Wind, to develop the Hummingbird turbine that occupies less space and slower speed. This turbine could be an effective resolution to help save birds and continue the innovation for better wind power technology.

NOVA

The UK government ETI (Energy Technology Institute) has proposed an offshore vertical axis  [dubbed Nova  wind turbine as part of a project to reduce the cost of wind from offshore.

WINDFLOAT

Built off Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean, the  25 MW  Windfloat Atlantic [WFA] is based around a trio of semi-submersible platforms.

TETRASPAR

A modular tetrahedral structure made up of standardised components and steel work features a unique triangular float keel which is tacked up and towed out to site .

SATH

The SATH (Swing Around Twin Hull) is a Spanish designed turbine which is under development and is to be installed as a medium-scale prototype in the Cantabrian Sea.

W2 POWER

The world’s first twin-rotored floating wind power platform.

SEA TWIRL

Sea Twirl is based in Sweden and has a vertical axis design which is engineered to rotate as one unit.

SAVONIUS TURBINE

The Savonius turbine is S-shaped if viewed from above. This drag-type VAWT turns relatively slowly, but yields a high torque. It is useful for grinding grain, pumping water, and many other tasks, but its slow rotational speeds make it unsuitable for generating electricity on a large-scale.

DARRIEUS TURBINE

The Darrieus turbine is a vertical axis wind turbine, characterised by its C-shaped rotor blades which give it its eggbeater appearance. It is normally built with two or three blades.

TULIP TURBINE

The tulip wind turbines are twin-bladed, quiet and easily visible to birds and bats

SKYBRATOR TURBINE

A bladeless turbine which  stands 3 metres high, has a curved -topped cylinder fixed vertically with an elastic rod.

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