Wind Energy Basics

WIND ENERGY BASICS

The Jacobs Grid Intertie System takes the power that the wind plant produces and converts it to useable energy and transfers it to the utility grid (power company) through the customers circuit breaker panel. When the customers usage exceeds the wind systems output, the additional power required is drawn from the utility grid. If the electrical needs are satisfied by the wind system, no power is used from the utility. During periods of sustained high winds the system may produce more power than is consumed, a financial return can be realized by selling the excess power to the utility company and through net energy savings. The Grid Intertie System is not a backup power system, if the utility power goes out, the control shuts down until the utility power comes back on.

Basic system consists of the following:

Wind Turbine
Tower and Hinges
Grid Intertie Controls

Click to enlarge

Sighting

Just as important as the winds, the location of the wind system is very important too. A Site Analysis should be done to determine the best possible location for the wind system to capture the most available wind.

A few key issues have to be considered:

Terrain
- Usually the highest point has the best winds, although areas around river valleys, large hills or mountains and large areas of trees can affect the actual site. That is why it is best to do a wind study.
Obstructions (Trees & Buildings)
- It is generally recommended to install a tower that is a minimum of 30 feet above all obstructions, and to locate the machine at a distance that is twice the height of the obstructions.
Prevailing Winds
- Try to locate the machine in an area where the prevailing winds can get to the machine without any obstruction in front of it.

WTIC offers towers ranging from 80' - 120'. As you can see using the chart to the right, the higher you place the turbine the stronger the wind speeds will be, and more energy will be produced by the machine.

In simple terms the output of the wind machine is based on the velocity of the wind cubed.

Increasing the height of the tower from 30' to 120' will increase the wind speed by 21.9%, however the actual output of the machine will increase by as much as 81.1%.