Introduction

In recent years, wind energy has become one of the most economical renewable energy
technologies. Today, electricity generating wind turbines employ proven and tested
technology, and provide a secure and sustainable energy supply. At good, windy sites, wind
energy can already successfully compete with conventional energy production. Many
countries have considerable wind resources, which are still untapped.
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity generation in the
world today. These growth trends can be linked to the multi-dimensional benefits associated
with wind energy.

Green Power: The electricity produced from wind power is said to be "clean"
because its generation produces no pollution or greenhouse gases. As both health
and environmental concerns are on the rise, clean energy sources are a growing
demand.
Sustainable: Wind is a renewable energy resource, it is inexhaustible and requires
no "fuel" besides the wind that blows across the earth. This infinite energy supply
is a security that many users view as a stable investment in our energy economy as
well as in our children's' future.
Affordable: Wind power is a cost-competitive source of electricity, largely due to
technological advancements, as well as economies of scale as more of these
machines are manufactured and put online around the world.
Economic Development: As well as being affordable, wind power is a locallyproduced source of electricity that enables communities to keep energy dollars in
their economy. Job creation (manufacturing, service, construction, and operation)
and tax base increase are other economic development benefits for communities
utilizing wind energy.

The technological development of recent years, bringing more efficient and more reliable
wind turbines, is making wind power more cost-effective. In general, the specific energy
costs per annual kWh decrease with the size of the turbine notwithstanding existing supply
difficulties.
Many African countries expect to see electricity demand expand rapidly in coming
decades. At the same time, finite natural resources are becoming depleted, and the
environmental impacts of energy use and energy conversion have been generally accepted as
a threat to our natural habitat. Indeed these have become major issues for international policy.
Many developing countries and emerging economies have substantial unexploited wind
energy potential. In many locations, generating electricity from wind energy offers a costeffective alternative to thermal power stations. It has a lower impact on the environment and
climate, reduces dependence on fossil fuel imports and increases security of energy supply.
It is only in recent years that appreciable development of the market potential in
developing countries and emerging economies has taken place. The share of global wind

generating capacity accounted for by Africa, Asia and Latin America reached about 20% at
the end of 2008, with an installed capacity of 26 GW. This is attributable above all to breathtaking growth in India and China: these two countries alone are responsible for 22 GW. This
proves that economic use of wind energy in developing countries and emerging economies is
possible, and also indicates that there is immense potential that is still unexploited.

Generation of Electricity through Turbines:

Wind turbines are like airplanes running on the spot-spinning round but going nowhere.
They're serving a very useful purpose, however. There's energy locked in wind and these
giant propellers can capture some of it and turn it instantly into electricity.
A turbine is a machine that spins around in a moving fluid (liquid or gas) and catches
some of the energy passing by. All sorts of machines use turbines, from jet engines to
hydroelectric power plants and from diesel railroad locomotives to windmills. Even a child's
toy windmill is a simple form of turbine.
The huge rotor blades (propellers) on the front of a wind turbine are the "turbine" part. As
wind passes by, the kinetic energy (energy of movement) it contains makes the blades spin
around (usually quite slowly). The blades have a special curved shape so they capture as
much energy from the wind as possible.
Although we talk about "wind turbines," the turbine is only one of the three main parts
inside these giant machines. The second part is a gearbox whose gears convert the slow speed
of the spinning blades into higher-speed rotary motion-turning the drive shaft quickly enough
to power the electricity generator.
The generator is the third main part of a turbine and it's exactly like an enormous, scaledup version of the dynamo on a bicycle. When you ride a bicycle, the dynamo touching the
back wheel spins around and generates enough electricity to make a lamp light up. The same
thing happens in a wind turbine, only the "dynamo" generator is driven by the turbine's rotor
blades instead of by a bicycle wheel, and the "lamp" is a light in someone's home dozens of
miles away.

Working Of Wind Turbines:

The working of wind turbines is explained through the following diagram:
1. Wind (moving air that contains kinetic energy) blows toward the turbine's rotor
blades.
2. The rotors spin around slowly, capturing some of the kinetic energy from the wind,
and turning the central drive shaft that supports them.

3. The rotor blades can swivel on the hub at

the front so they meet the wind at the best
angle for harvesting energy.
4. Inside the nacelle (the main body of the
turbine sitting on top of the tower and
behind the blades), the gearbox converts
the low-speed rotation of the drive shaft
(about 16 revolutions per minute, rpm)
into high-speed (1600 rpm) rotation fast
enough to drive the generator efficiently.
5. The generator, immediately behind the gearbox, takes kinetic energy from the
spinning drive shaft and turns it into electrical energy.
6. Anemometers (wind-speed monitors) and wind vanes on the back of the nacelle
provide measurements about the wind speed and direction.
7. Using these measurements, the entire top part of the turbine (the rotors and nacelle)
can be rotated by a yaw motor, mounted between the nacelle and the tower, so it faces
directly into the oncoming wind and captures the maximum amount of energy. If the
wind speed rises too much, brakes are applied to stop the rotors from turning (for
safety reasons).
8. The electric current produced by the generator flows through a cable running down
through the inside of the turbine tower.
9. A substation transforms the voltage of the electricity so it can be transmitted
efficiently to nearby communities.
10. Homes enjoy clean, green energy.
11. Wind carries on blowing past the turbine, but with lower speed and lower energy (for
reasons explained below) and more turbulence (since the turbine has disrupted its
flow).

Wind Power across the Globe

As of the end of 2014, worldwide, total cumulative installed capacity from wind power
amounts to 369,553 MW and increased by 16% compared to the previous year (318,106
MW). In 2014, world leader China installed almost half of the world's added wind power
capacity. Global wind power installations increased by 35,467 MW and 51,447 MW in 2013
and 2014, respectively.
Several countries have achieved relatively high levels of wind power penetration, such as
39% of stationary electricity production in Denmark, 18% in Portugal, 16% in Spain, 14% in
Ireland and 9% in Germany in 2010. As of 2011, 83 countries around the world are using
wind power on a commercial basis. Wind power's share of worldwide electricity usage at the
end of 2014 was 3.1%.

As of 2011, the Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW) in the United States is the world's largest
wind farm. As of September 2010, the Thanet Wind Farm in United Kingdom is the largest
offshore wind farm in the world at 300 MW, followed by Horns Rev II (209 MW) in
Denmark. The United Kingdom is the world's leading generator of offshore wind power,
followed by Denmark.
As of 2015, India is ranked fourth in total wind power generation. The development of
wind power in India began in the 1986 with first wind farms being set up in coastal areas of
Maharshtra (Ratnagiri), Gujarat (Okha) and Tamil Nadu (Tuticorin) with 55 kW Vestas wind
turbines. In 2009-10 India's growth rate was highest among the other top four countries. The
potential for wind farms in the country was first assessed by Dr. Jami Hossain using a GIS
platform to be more than 2000 GW in 2011. This was subsequently re-validated by Lawrence
Berkley National Laboratory, US (LBNL) in an independent study in 2012. As a result, the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) set up a committee to reassess the potential
and through the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has announced a revised
estimation of the potential wind resource in India from 49,130 MW to 302,000 MW assessed
at 100m Hub height. The wind resource at higher Hub heights that are prevailing is possibly
even more. In the year 2015, the MNRE set the target for Wind Power generation capacity by
the year 2022 at 60,000 MW.
As of 31 March 2016 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 26,743 MW,
mainly spread across South, West and North regions. Wind power accounts nearly 8.6% of
India's total installed power generation capacity and generated 28,604 million Kwh (MU) in
the fiscal year 2015-16 which is nearly 2.5% of total electricity generation.[11] The capacity
utilisation factor is nearly 14% in the fiscal year 2015-16 (15% in 2014-15). 70% of wind
generation is during the five months duration from May to September coinciding with
Southwest monsoon duration.

Advantages:

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The wind is free and with modern technology it can be captured efficiently.
Once the wind turbine is built the energy it produces does not cause greenhouse gases or
other pollutants.
Although wind turbines can be very tall each takes up only a small plot of land. This
means that the land below can still be used. This is especially the case in agricultural
areas as farming can still continue.
Many people find wind farms an interesting feature of the landscape.
Remote areas that are not connected to the electricity power grid can use wind turbines to
produce their own supply.
Wind turbines have a role to play in both the developed and third world.
Wind turbines are available in a range of sizes which means a vast range of people and
businesses can use them. Single households to small towns and villages can make good
use of range of wind turbines available today.

Disadvantages:

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The strength of the wind is not constant and it varies from zero to storm force. This
means that wind turbines do not produce the same amount of electricity all the time.
There will be times when they produce no electricity at all.
Many people feel that the countryside should be left untouched, without these large
structures being built. The landscape should left in its natural form for everyone to enjoy.
Wind turbines are noisy. Each one can generate the same level of noise as a family car
travelling at 70 mph.
Many people see large wind turbines as unsightly structures and not pleasant or
interesting to look at. They disfigure the countryside and are generally ugly.
When wind turbines are being manufactured some pollution is produced. Therefore wind
power does produce some pollution.
Large wind farms are needed to provide entire communities with enough electricity.