Wind Energy Engineering

A. INTRODUCTION B. WIND RESOURCE How is wind generated? Wind speeds, wind force, wind power Theory of wind energy Wind power density Theoretical power captured by a wind turbine Wind distribution world-wide C. WIND TURBINE TECHNOLOGY History of harnessing wind power Design of horizontal axis wind turbines (power control, stall, generator torque, Yawing, electrical and mechanical braking, turbine size, generator type, blade design, material and count, tower height) Design of vertical axis wind turbines (including Savonius type, designs, advantages) Aerodynamics (drag, lift, maximum power, axial momentum, angular momentum, wake rotation, blade element and momentum theory) Turbine blade size and maximum power output Wind Turbine components (blades, gearbox, rotor shaft, brake, magnets, etc) Variable speed drives Speed Power generation, synchronous and asynchronous generators Operation and Maintenance Wind energy measurements D. GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY Wind farms Integration into National Grids Small scale wind turbines Storing energy from wind turbines E. PLANNING and EXECUTION OF WIND PROJECTS Development Politics and public opinion Prospecting Financing Time frame Commissioning Installation F. WIND ENERGY WORLD WIDE Comparison of on-shore and off-shore Countries investing in on-shore wind power Countries developing and producing wind turbines G. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF WIND ENERGY Life cycle of energy input and output Impact on wild life, impact on livestock Impact on humans, noise, landscape and aesthetics, community benefits and incentives, safety Land use Rare earth use (magnets) H. FINANCIAL MODELING/WIND ENERGY ECONOMICS Net energy gain Energy return on investment (EROI) Incentives Revenue I. REGULATIONS J. GROWTH TRENDS AND THE FUTURE OF WIND ENERGY