Renewables First Ltd’s Post

I have been contemplating the possibility of harnessing wind energy from the exhaust output of the cooling tower. To explore this idea further, I posted a query on the subreddit r/AskEngineering. I inquired whether it was feasible, given that the discharged air from the exhaust fan exhibits consistency and predictability. The primary question I sought to address was whether a wind turbine could consistently achieve the rated wind speed specified in the datasheet, and how this might impact the performance of the cooling tower. The response I received indicated that introducing any obstruction in the exhaust path would necessitate the exhaust fan to work harder to maintain the same airflow, resulting in a net energy loss. A more viable approach was suggested, involving the installation of a variable frequency drive on the exhaust fan motor to reduce power consumption when feasible, rather than attempting to recover energy from the exhaust output, which would be more cost-effective. Following this interaction, I conducted further research on the impact of wind turbines when employed for energy recovery in exhaust air systems. I came across a scholarly journal authored by Professor Ir. Dr. WenTong Chong and his colleagues in 2012, titled 'Early Development of an Energy Recovery Wind Turbine Generator for Exhaust Air Systems.' Their findings, based on the use of a Darrieus-type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT), yielded favorable results. In indoor laboratory tests utilizing diffuser plates at the exhaust output, the wind turbine's rotational speed increased by 30.4%, from 115 RPM to 150 RPM, with no discernible impact on the current drawn by the fan motor. However, it should be noted that these results are derived from a small-scale test model and may not be directly applicable to real-world conditions. Subsequently, in tests conducted with a cooling tower boasting an average discharged wind velocity of approximately 10.545 m/s, the installation of a wind turbine at the exhaust outlet resulted in a reduction of the average discharged wind speed by 1.73% to 10.363 m/s, with the VAWT rotating at 875 RPM. These findings suggest that the implementation of an energy recovery system through wind turbines has a minimal effect on the performance of the cooling tower. The choice of wind turbine type also plays a significant role, as the Darrieus VAWT is characterized by low solidity and high rotational speed operation. Due to its low solidity, it exerts minimal blockage effects on the airflow. In conclusion, based on the study and experiments conducted, this system is anticipated to recover approximately 13% of the power consumption by the cooling tower. This advancement holds promise for regions with low wind speeds, particularly urban areas, allowing them to harness wind energy from consistent and predictable exhaust air resources. To gain a deeper understanding of this topic, I recommend delving further into the contents of the journal.

⚡️💨 Unleashing the power of wind, safely and efficiently. 🚁🌬️ The TouchWind floating wind turbine with its groundbreaking single helicopter-style blade design is set to change the way we generate power from wind . 🚁✨ This game-changing innovation not only maximizes energy generation but also ensures unparalleled safety, even in winds as high as 70 m/sec (252 km/h / 157 mph). Let's explore how this cutting-edge design sets a new standard in the renewable energy industry. 🌪️⚡️ 🌬️💪 The TouchWind turbine's single blade configuration captures more wind energy, boosting power generation while reducing turbulence. This means greater efficiency and increased clean electricity output, even in challenging weather conditions. 📈⚡️ 💨🛡️ But what truly sets the TouchWind turbine apart is its unmatched safety features. The single blade design minimizes the surface area exposed to strong gusts, enhancing structural resilience and preventing damage during high winds. This ensures reliable and consistent operation, no matter the weather conditions. 🔒💡 The advanced control systems of the TouchWind turbine dynamically adjust the blade pitch, optimizing performance and maintaining stability in varying wind conditions. This adaptability guarantees safe and efficient operation while protecting the longevity of the turbine components. ⚠️🌪️ By revolutionizing safety in high winds, the TouchWind turbine unlocks a new era of renewable energy. It not only maximizes power generation but also minimizes the risks associated with extreme weather. This makes it the ultimate solution for offshore wind farms, where wind speeds can be ferocious. 🌍✅ The TouchWind turbine if implemented at scale, can accelerate the energy expansion to an efficient and more resilient future. We can and should harness wind power efficiently and safely, a key part of unlocking the full potential of sustainable energy. Link to Newatlas Article with video: https://lnkd.in/g8dtZmVv #TouchWind #WindTurbine #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergy #Innovation #Sustainability #OffshoreWind #FloatingTurbine #HighWinds #WindPower #Climate #GreenFuture #EnergyGeneration #CleanTech #EnvironmentallyFriendly #PowerfulDesign #Efficiency #Safety #WindEnergy #SustainableFuture #HarnessingWindPower What are your thoughts on this groundbreaking design? How do you envision it transforming the renewable energy landscape? Let me know your insights in the comments below! 👇💬

On one occasion when in Siberia, I visited an oilfield in these kinds of temperatures; as I recall it was -34C. Experiencing such brutal conditions for the first time I asked "when do the crews stop working". The answer was "when it gets to -39C". I thought this was odd, why not a nice round number like -40? The response to my follow up question was that the metals start to fail below -39C. Russian crews (and I am sure Albertans) can manage: materials struggle. As per the linked article: "many materials lose much of their strength and are prone to shattering. This applies to wind turbines as much as it applies to car bumpers". What's keeping you safe and warm today?

#snsinstitutions #snsdesignthinkers #designthinking Wind energy is harnessed from the kinetic energy of moving air masses, primarily using wind turbines. Here's a deeper explanation of the process:Wind Turbines: These are the primary means of harnessing wind energy. Wind turbines consist of several key components:Blades: Typically made of fiberglass, wood, or carbon fiber, these blades capture the wind's energy and convert it into rotational energyRotor: The blades are attached to a central hub, forming a rotor. As the wind blows, it causes the rotor to spin.Generator: The rotating motion of the rotor turns a generator, which converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy.Tower: The turbine is mounted on a tall tower to elevate it above ground-level turbulence and capture stronger, more consistent winds. Wind Patterns: Wind is created by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun. Variations in temperature and topography cause air to move, creating wind patterns. Coastal areas, mountain gaps, and open plains are often ideal locations for wind farms due to higher wind speeds. Wind Speed and Power Output: The amount of energy a wind turbine can generate depends on the wind speed. Wind turbines have a minimum "cut-in" speed (typically around 3-4 m/s) at which they start generating power. As wind speed increases, power output increases exponentially until it reaches the rated wind speed (usually around 12-14 m/s), beyond which the turbine reaches its maximum power output and begins to "cut-out" to prevent Renewable: Wind is a naturally replenished resource, making wind energy a sustainable option.Clean: Wind energy production produces no greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants during operation, reducing environmental impact compared to fossil fuels.Cost-Effective: The cost of wind energy has decreased significantly over the years, making it increasingly competitive with traditional energy sources.Local Economic Benefits: Wind farms can provide economic benefits to local communities through job creation and lease payments to landowners. Intermittency: Wind energy production is variable and dependent on weather conditions, which can lead to intermittency issues if not properly managed. Visual and Noise Impact: Some people find wind turbines visually intrusive, and noise from turbines can be a concern for nearby residents. Location Constraints: The best wind resources are often located in remote or offshore areas, requiring infrastructure development and transmission upgrades to connect to population centers. Overall, wind energy plays a crucial role in the transition to a more sustainable energy future, providing a clean and abundant source of power.

Horizontal axis wind turbines Horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) have their axis of rotation horizontal to the ground and almost parallel to the wind stream Most of the commercial wind turbines fall under this category. Horizontal axis machines have some dis￾tinct advantages such as low cut-in wind speed and easy furling. In general, they show relatively high power coefficient. However, the generator and gearbox of these turbines are to be placed over the tower which makes its design more complex and expensive. Another disadvantage is the need for the tail or yaw drive to orient the turbine towards wind. Depending on the number of blades, horizontal axis wind turbines are further classified as single bladed, two bladed, three bladed and multi bladed, as shown in Single bladed turbines are cheaper due to savings on blade materials. The drag losses are also minimum for these turbines. However, to balance the blade counter weight has to be placed opposite to the hub. Single bladed designs are not very popular due to problems in balancing and visual acceptability. Two bladed rotors also have these drawbacks, but to a lesser extent. Most of the present commercial turbines used for electricity generation have three blades. They are more stable as the aerodynamic loading will be relatively uniform. Machines with more number of blades (6, 8, 12, 18 or even more) are also available. The ratio between the actual blade area to the swept area of a rotor is termed as the solidity. Hence, multi-bladed rotors are also called high solidity rotors. These ro￾tors can start easily as more rotor area interacts with the wind initially. Some low solidity designs may require external starting. Now consider two rotors, both of the same diameter, but different in number of blades; say one with 3 blades and the other with 12 blades. Which will produce more power at the same wind velocity? As the rotor swept area and velocity are the same, theoretically both the rotors should produce the same power. However aerodynamic losses are more for the rotor with more number of blades. Hence, for the same rotor size and wind velocity, we can expect more power from the three bladed rotor. Then why do we need turbines with more blades? Some applications like water pumping require high starting torque. For such systems, the torque required for starting goes up to 3-4 times the running torque. Starting torque increases with the solidity. Hence to develop high starting torque, water pumping wind mills are made with multi bladed rotors. Based on the direction of receiving the wind, HAWT can be classified as up wind and down wind turbines as shown in Upwind turbines have their rotors facing the wind directly. As the wind stream passes the rotor first, they do not have the problem of tower shadow. However, yaw mechanism is essential for .....

We explore the re-engineering of #usedwindturbines. While new wind turbines have their place in the wind power mix, there’s also (a growing) demand for #refurbishedwindturbines. As the wind energy market has matured, assets are ageing, and many wind turbines are passing the end of their warranty period. At the same time, operators in advanced markets like in Europa and US are moving towards more powerful and sophisticated equipment rated at five megawatts (MW) and upwards. Turbine technology itself has also moved on. Today’s turbines are fitted with power electronics and variable speed mechanisms that ramp up production as the wind blows. These enable operators to maximize production throughout the range of light, medium and strong winds. Together these factors have led to a new market for #refurbishment of wind turbines that are out of warranty, either for operators who want to improve performance or for a growing second hand market for wind turbines. This market is actually substantial. We #refurbishedwindturbines from the secondary market, while they are second hand, they have been mechanically and electrically refurbished to achieve greater performance and meet the demands of new grid codes. One solution is to include the turbine as part of a system that includes capacitor banks and other systems such as a STATCOM or Full Power Converter. Recognizing this, at #REPOWERING we identified the opportunity of re-engineering aging wind turbines rated at up to 2 MW. There is growing demand for the service by developers of #distributedenergy projects, #energycommunities, #self-consumptionprojects who purchase #usedwindturbines and want to refurbish and upgrade them to meet the demands of new grid codes that did not exist 10 years ago. A #refurbishedwindturbine can be acquired at a very significant discount of CAPEX. The second benefit is availability as a refurbished turbine can be available with a lead time of just a few months. So refurbishing turbines adds value, offers affordable. In addition, there are projects where the installation of new large turbines is not viable due to logistical and environmental restrictions. From #REPOWERING, we are helping developers in the world of distributed energy projects, energy communities, self-consumption projects that acquire used wind turbines and want to recondition and upgrade them to meet the requirements of the new grid codes that did not exist 10 years ago. A #refurbishedwindturbine can be purchased at a very significant discount from CAPEX. The second advantage is availability, as a reconditioned turbine can be available within a few months. Thus, wind turbine refurbishment adds value and is affordable. In addition, there are projects where the installation of large new turbines is not feasible due to logistical and environmental constraints. #ciculareconomy #decommissioningwindfarms #retrofitwindturbine #refurbishedturbines #circulareconomy #repowering

The green-energy transition has become a major focus over the last few years amid growing concerns about the state of our environment. As a result, billions in investment capital has been pouring into renewable-energy solutions like solar power and wind. Meanwhile, the underlying technologies that will make the energy transition a reality remain the unsung heroes of the transition. For example, the basic circuit breaker hasn't seen a significant change in design since the late 19th century, when Thomas Edison developed them. In recent years, it has become clear that upgrading the circuit breakers in our nation's power grid will be critical for the energy transition. In fact, most of the U.S. electric grid was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, more than 70% of the grid is over 25 years old, making it especially vulnerable to severe weather and other threats. This is why we're seeing more and more widespread power outages that are lasting longer than in decades past. The transition to renewable energy further complicates matters due to the fact that these energy sources are intermittent. Whenever the sky is overcast for an extended period, solar panels aren't producing any energy and the same is true of wind turbines during exceptionally calm weather patterns. On the other hand, renewable sources like solar and wind can produce far more energy than usual on other days when the sun is especially bright or the wind is blowing particularly hard against the turbines. As a result, renewable-energy sources can create sudden spikes that cause problems with controlling the frequency and voltage in the system, exacerbating the issues with the aging grid. https://lnkd.in/d5RmS65i

❓ #windfarmcontrol experts, what do you think? Is a lookup table sufficient to implement effective #wakesteering on a real-world wind farm, or is a model-based controller the only way to deal with the complex scenarios that need to be handled, e.g., offline turbines, noise curtailment, etc.?

Cooperative control in wind plants refers to the strategy where multiple wind turbines work together to achieve a shared objective, such as power optimization. Cooperative control is common in nature (e.g., flocks of birds, school of fish, etc.), but not the norm in wind plants. Wind turbines typically operate in isolation and their operation generates wakes that can negatively impact the performance of downstream turbines, which limits wind plant production. Novel control strategies such as wake steering, designed to mitigate the wake effect through strategic yaw misalignment, have received increasing attention lately as operational data indicate that wake losses, in particular offshore wake losses, are higher than initially predicted. The impact of this is significant as even a 1% underestimation of wake losses will result in more than $2M of losses assuming typical offshore wind capacity factors and power prices. Novel control strategies for wake mitigation are needed to ensure the viability of offshore wind. Wake steering is one of the preeminent methods for wake mitigation. However, there are different ways to implement wake steering, either through a static lookup table or using model-based control (MBC). The static lookup table approach, wherein turbine yaw positions are pre-defined for a distinct set of wind conditions (e.g., wind speed and direction bins), is a common approach employed in the industry due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. However, their simplicity comes at a cost. Static lookup tables are limited in their ability to define the optimal yaw position for the range of atmospheric conditions that govern wind turbine wakes (e.g., atmospheric turbulence). Additional challenges arise when we consider turbines that are offline or derated for maintenance. When this occurs or whenever the actual conditions observed onsite differ from those used to generate the yaw table, the off-yaw wake steering setpoints become suboptimal and the benefit of wake steering is reduced. WindESCo Swarm™ employs MBC for wake steering. This approach leverages real-time operational data combined with engineering wake models and data-driven submodels to improve wake steering effectiveness. This advanced approach dynamically adjusts the optimal yaw setpoints for wake steering and wind plant optimization and considers the operational state of each turbine in the wind plant as well as a variety of atmospheric conditions that directly affect wake behavior, including atmospheric turbulence and heterogeneous flow conditions. While implementing and maintaining MBC requires sophisticated modeling capabilities and interfacing with the wind farm network, WindESCo is committed to this approach due its adaptability to site conditions and the promise of improved performance and wind plant optimization not possible using an industry-standard lookup table. Read More: https://hubs.la/Q02GygZM0

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱… There are really exciting developments in wind turbine production. Since 2002 wind generated electricity in the UK has increased from less than 1% to consistently over 25% of total supply (DESNZ data) Traditionally turbine towers are made from steel with a fibreglass outer… but as towers get larger (particularly on land), steel creates logistical challenges in getting it to site. The sector has also become a notable percentage of the total steel demand. With global wind production needing to triple (IEA) to meet its share net zero electricity production, the burden on building increases. The market needs  30 000 new turbines per year to be built. And every wind turbine needs a tower. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚… What if you could build a tower that was lighter, and stronger than steel, and that was closer to carbon neutral… In just two years, Northern European companies have taken wooden wind turbines from prototype to commercialisation. Using the laminated wood products, something more akin to flat pack, construction can be created. As you increase the height of a turbine, the product increases – double the height, quadruple the generated power. Currently most of the larger onshore / offshore turbines are <150m high (although the tallest in the world are now 280m). Where steel’s weight creates limits and a need for every larger, wider towers, wood can be constructed with less weight and higher strength.   Towers can be build from sustainable planting of spruce forests, establishing a lower carbon footprint than other energy generation forms. Over the next decade David Olivegren founder of Modvion says that they hope to be able to expand to build 2,000 turbines a year – 10% of the market, and whilst the transport to offshore for modular construction may be more difficult, their towers are adaptable to that setting too… Where Modvion may be leading, let’s hope that others follow – in this next step towards even more sustainable energy generation…   Link to website Modvion - https://lnkd.in/e_KvDDP4 Link to BBC news article - https://lnkd.in/eXmYJxnZ Image credit – Modvion   David Olivegren Jennifer de vries MIAM Allan Boardman CEng liz parminter Laurence Hunter David Lenaghan Andrew McAvan Joshua Bates CEng Steven Pinkerton-Clark Heather Bain BEng(Hons) MIET Christopher Bratt Lizzy Binks Aneesh Rajeev