Wind Turbines For Renewable Energy

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1. Wind Turbines for Renewable Energy (written by: Stephanie Holzkamp)
In order to increase the distribution and treatment capabilities of the Nyamabuye water treatment plant, additional energy generation is critical. As a result, this team has created plans for potential implementations of renewable energy sources since these sources have significantly less environmental impact and allow for the construction of modern energy sources now rather than rather than trying to retrofit nonrenewable sources to limit their impact on the environment at a later time as many modernized countries are experiencing now. Wind turbines allow for a remote power source and can be scaled and constructed based on the amount of energy needed by the Nyamabuye water treatment plant. While there may be many environmental and operational benefits to wind power, there are also disadvantages and challenges that may wind power to be eliminated from contention as a possible power source.

1.1 Theory and Overview of Wind Power
1.1.1 Defining Wind Power
Wind energy is defined as “kinetic energy of wind exploited for the electricity generation in wind turbines” (International Energy Agency, 2016). When moving quickly, air has a high kinetic energy that the turbine’s blades capture, which will the rotor blades and as a result, the shaft. The generator is then able to turn the energy from rotational energy into useable electricity. Wind turbines strive to provide energy from a clean, free fuel source with little to no greenhouse gas emissions (Blaabjerg et al., 2004). Wind power could allow for remote energy generation with low operational costs for a location like the Nyamabuye water treatment plant.

1.1.2 Parts of a Wind Turbine
There are three main pa...

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..., they are extremely dependable and unlikely to have issues. Completed studies state that wind turbines are generally available to operate is about 99% of the time. The less time the machine is down in repair, the more money saved on the investment. Therefore, wind turbines are a strong candidate for projects that rely heavily on a reliable source with few maintenance issues. One challenge with this is, though maintenance may be less frequent, it could be more difficult to try to tackle the maintenance issue due to the height and complexity of a wind turbine. However, the annual cost is still not too high to operate. For regular maintenance, insurance, parts and general operation the cost falls somewhere between $14/megawatt and $26/megawatt. There, the longevity and reliability of wind turbines as a source becomes evident (International Energy Agency, 2008).

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