Utility Scale Wind Energy

Prof. Park

UTI-111

Essex County College

Wind Turbine Economics

• At present, the most economical application of wind turbines is in groups of large machines installed on wind farm.

• Wind farm range in size from a few megawatts to hundreds of megawatts.

• Wind farms can be made larger or smaller as needed. Turbines can be added as electricity demand grows.

• Currently a 100-MW wind farm can be erected in 6 to 12 months. This does not include the time needed for measuring the wind and obtaining construction permits.

Wind Power Cost

• Wind power cost have fallen since wind turbine installation began in 1980’s.

• Larger machines have produced economies of scale and technology advances have lowered many component costs.

• However recant change in overall economy have caused cost to start to rise again.

Wind Power Cost

per kW Minimum Average Maximum

2006 $1,150 $1,480 $2,240

2005 $1,260

Table 1-1 Classes of wind power density at 10 m and 50 m(a)

Wind PowerClass

10 m (33 ft) 50 m (164 ft)

Wind Power

Density (W/m 2)

Speed (b) m/s (mph)

Wind Power

Density (W/m 2)

Speed (b) m/s (mph)

1 0 0 0  

100 4.4 (9.8) 200 5.6 (12.5)2

150 5.1 (11.5) 300 6.4 (14.3)3

200 5.6 (12.5) 400 7.0 (15.7)4

250 6.0 (13.4) 500 7.5 (16.8)5

300 6.4 (14.3) 600 8.0 (17.9)6

400 7.0 (15.7) 800 8.8 (19.7)7

1000 9.4 (21.1) 2000 11.9 (26.6)

• Wind and solar PV energy development in the United States is experiencing explosive growth. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), 5,244 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity was added in the United States in 2007, which increased total wind power capacity by 45% in a single year and injected more than $9 billion into the U.S. economy.

• Total installed capacity at the end of 2007 was 16,818 MW, and projected wind capacity installations in the United States in 2008 are expected to total more than 5,000 MW. This is more than twice the 2,400 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity that was added to the system in 2006 at a cost of $4 billion (2007$).

• Note that more wind power capacity was installed and made operational in 2007 than was developed in the United States between 1981-2002.

New Jerseyannual averagewind power

The formula for calculating the power from a wind turbine

Power = k Cp 1/2 ρ A V3 Where: P = Power output, kilowatts Cp = Maximum power coefficient, ranging from 0.25 to 0.45, dimension less

(theoretical maximum = 0.59) ρ = Air density, lb/ft3 A = Rotor swept area, ft2 or π D2/4 (D is the rotor diameter in ft, π = 3.1416) V = Wind speed, mph k = 0.000133 A constant to yield power in kilowatts.

AEO = 0.01328 D2 V3 Where: AEO = Annual energy output, kWh/year D = Rotor diameter, feet V = Annual average wind speed, mph

Average wind speeds increase with height.

Installed windpower capacity (MW)

#     Nation     2005   2006   2007   2008[1]  

-     European Union 40,722 48,122 56,614 65,255

1     United States 9,149 11,603 16,818 25,237

2     Germany 18,415 20,622 22,247 23,933

3     Spain 10,028 11,615 15,145 16,543

4     China 1,260 2,604 6,050 12,121

5     India 4,430 6,270 8,000 9,655

World total (MW) 59,091 74,223 93,849 121,188