Wind Power
Wind energy has the potential to generate substantial amounts of electricity without pollution problems or creating greenhouse gasses; its environmental costs are mainly in the form of visual intrusion.
Wind power is an indirect form of solar energy, as it is the sun that powers global weather systems. It is estimated that 370TW of wind energy are available annually and the UK share of the wind could produce 2.5 times the annual electricity requirements using today’s technologies.
As the wind does not blow 24 hours a day, and the seasons and weather have a significant effect on the availability of harvestable wind, wind energy is mainly used to supplement a buildings power supply or supplement the national grid. However, wind can still significantly reduce a buildings electricity bill and carbon footprint because it reduces the amount of electricity drawn from the national grid whilst it is operating.
Microwind cogeneration
An office building or campus can often be powered by a single wind turbine, making wind turbines an ideal low-carbon cogeneration technology that can produce electricity at the point of use.
Wind Farms
In regions with a steady supply of wind, large wind turbines can be grouped together to form a wind farm. Wind farms can have sufficient capacity to power large campuses and towns and supplement the national grid.
Wind Power and Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Wind energy is forecast to be a central component of the future “hydrogen economy”. It is envisaged that wind turbines will be used to power electrolysis devices that will convert water into its base elements, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen will be captured and stored, and used to fuel a fuel cell that will convert it into electricity on demand. The fuel cell effectively acts as a battery for wind, making zero-carbon electricity available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.
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