Assignment for Alternative source of energy

SECTION 1: Energy Resources

1.1 Renewable & Non renewable energy resources Page 2

1.2 More Useful & Popular Renewable resources Page 2

SECTION 2: Introduction

2.1 Singapore Energy Policy Page 3

2.2 Electricity consumption & Wind Power of Singapore Page 4

SECTION 3: Basic Wind Turbine Systems Page 5

SECTION 4: Horizontal Win Turbine (HWT)

4.1 General Design Construction of HWT Page6, 7

4.2 Design concept of HWT

4.2.1 Lift & Drag Page 8, 9

4.2.2 Calculations for Design Calculations for Design Page 10

SECTION 5: ENVIRONMENTAL/SITING ISSUES

5.1 Environmental Permitting and Sitting Issues Page 11

5.2 Estimate Costs and Affecting Economic Payback Page 12

5.3 Conclusion Page 13

5.4 References Page 14

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SECTION 1: Energy Resources

1.1 Renewable & Non renewable energy resources

Fossil fuels currently provide for more than 80% of the energy needs in the world .During the Industrial
Revolution, the renewable energy was replaced by fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and petroleum etc.
Renewable energy resources are more abundant than fossil resources and more expensive to collect. But, Fossil
resources contain carbon. When they burn to generate the energy, Co2 is released or produced into the atmosphere.
Therefore it has negative effects for our atmosphere such as pollution, global warming and acid rain. Beside, non-
renewable energy resources will run out eventually.

Renewable energy is a kind of energy that is derived from natural process. There are so many kind of
renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal etc. Among them, Wind, Solar & Hydro is more
useful & popular.

1.2 More Useful & Popular Renewable resource

Wind Energy
Wind Turbine can be run using wind energy that can create from 600kW to 5MW of rated power, but
rated output from1.5 to 3 MW for commercial use. Wind speed and power output is directly proportion. Higher wind
speed, greater power output. Wind speed of offshore area is 90% greater than wind speed of land.

Some disadvantage
 May create a lot of noise.
 Wind can never be predicted.
 Wind energy depends upon the wind in an area and therefore is a variable source of energy.
 It covers a large area.

Solar Energy
Light energy and heat energy from sun can be used for Electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) or
concentrating solar power (CSP). Solar plants space of 1100 km2 (for plants without storage) and of 2000 km2 (with
storage in salt tanks) can generate 50 M W electricity.

Some disadvantages

 Every place can’t be used to build solar panels for solar energy, because solar panels need direct sun to
produce the most power.
 Solar panels produce the most power during the summer.
 Solar energy generation is also strongly depended on the quality of the solar panels material.

Hydro Energy
Falling or flowing water, hydropower that is a form of renewable energy, can be used to generate the
electricity. Among the renewable energy, Hydro energy is the most widely used. Hydroelectricity was 20% of world
Electricity consumption.

Some disadvantages

 Dams are extremely expensive to build and must be built to a very high standard.
 The natural environment is destroyed and flooding will be occurred.
 Fish populations can be impacted.

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Advantages of renewable resources

 There is not any Co2 emission in alternative source.

 No pollution
 Never run out

SECTION 2: Introduction

This report aims to provide extensive analysis of anticipated system costs and availability, wind
resources, electricity consumption characteristics in Singapore. A good wind resource contains enough kinetic
energy with which modern wind turbines can economically produce electric energy. The amount of kinetic energy in
the wind is a function of three factors:

 The area through which the wind is blowing. The larger the area, the more energy is available and thus the
greater theoretical power that is potentially available in the wind. This theoretical power is a function of the
area swept by the rotors, or the square of the rotor radius.

 The density of the wind. Air at sea level is denser [higher pressure] than wind at higher altitudes,
and cold air is denser than warm air.

 The velocity of the wind. The faster the wind blows the more energy in the wind.

2.1 Singapore Energy Policy

In Singapore, the policies governing the energy industry which encompasses all organizations involved in
generating, storing and distributing energy are set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) - a statutory board under
the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Policy input to EMA is provided by the Energy Studies Institute (ESI) which
provides independent, quality and timely policy research and analysis of regional and global energy trends and
issues in energy economics, energy security and the geopolitical and environmental impact of energy.

To encourage the growth of the energy industry and innovation in this sector, the Energy Market Authority
(EMA) announced a S$25 million Energy Research Development Fund (ERDF) and S$10 million Energy Market
Development Fund (MDF) to give impetus to research development and demonstration initiatives that can help grow
the energy industry, and provide incentives for developers to sell renewable energy into the grid.

The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)’s Clean Energy Program Office (CEPO) set up a
Cleantech Start-up Fund to help accelerate the commercialization of energy, water and environmental related
technologies by providing a grant of up to 85% of qualifying costs for approved projects, capped at a maximum of
S$500,000 over a period of 2 years.

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2.2 Electricity consumption & Wind Power of Singapore

Electricity Consumption in Singapore (kWh)

Graph from http://indexmundi.com/singapore/electricity_consumption.html

Singapore is a Southeast Asian country located close to the equator at 1.50N Latitude and 1040E Longitude.
Thus, the Singapore weather is characterized to be tropical in nature. In January and February, Singapore
experiences heavy winds. The wind speed during this part of the season is at times estimated from 2m/s to 3m/s.
The average wind speed of the Singapore land is 2m/s. Average wind speed of Singapore offshore area is 3m/s
above. So, in my opinion, electricity generation from wind turbine using wind power is more suitable and effective
than the electricity generation using other type of renewable power resources.

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Section 3; Wind Power

3.1 Basic Wind Turbine Systems

There are many forms of electricity just like there are many sources of it. One source of electricity is the
wind that we are breathing right now. Wind is capable of producing mechanical power which is important for
electricity generation. Wind power is the wind energy conversion into a useful form of energy, such as using wind
turbines to make electricity, wind mills for mechanical power, wind pumps for pumping water or drainage, or sails to
propel ships. A wind turbine converts the energy in the wind into electrical energy or mechanical energy to pump
water or grind grain. The most common wind turbines in operation today generate power from two or three blades
revolving around a horizontal axis and are mounted on towers.

There are two kinds of wind turbines, the vertical axis design and the horizontal axis design. The vertical
axis type is designed like an egg-beater. The horizontal wind turbine has two to three blades. This type functions the
best when it is directly facing the wind.
See Figure 3.1 (a) and (b).

(a) (b)
Figure 3.1
(a) Wind Turbine with Horizontal Axis (b) Wind Turbine with Horizontal Axis
Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VWT)

A type of wind turbine in which the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the wind stream and the ground.
Vertical axis turbines work whatever direction the wind is blowing, but require a lot more ground space to support
their guy wires than horizontal axis wind turbines.

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HWT)

A type of wind turbine in which the axis of the rotation is parallel to the wind stream and the ground. The
wind passes over both surfaces of the airfoil shaped blade but passes more rapidly over the upper side of the airfoil.
The pressure differential between top and bottom surfaces results in aerodynamic lift like aero plane

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SECTION 4: Horizontal Wind Turbine (HWT)

4.1 General Design Construction of HWT

.

Main Components of Wind Turbine are;

(1) Turbine Blade

(2) Nacelle (Brake, Controller, Shaft, Gear Box, Generator, Anemometer)

(3) Rotor

(4) Tower

(5) Foundation

Cut Away of Typical Modern Wind Turbine

Figure 4.1
Photo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine

(1)Blades – are the main parts of the turbine for the electricity-generating. Once wind passes through it, they will
rotate thereby causing a series of reaction which will eventually lead to electricity production.

Number of Blade -Single Blade Captures 10% less energy than Double Blade. Double Blade captures 5% less
energy than the three blades design. Numbers of blades are increased to increase aerodynamic efficiency.

The material of Blades – Wood, Steel, Aluminum, Fiberglass. Fiberglass material is used for the most modern large
Turbines.

(2)Nacelle

Brake – as with any other break, this is used to stop the turbines in emergency cases. This could be a mechanical,
electrical, or hydraulic break.

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Controller – this dictates the wind speed at which turbines start and stop. It usually starts the machine when the
wind hits 8 mph and stops it upon reaching 55 mph. It is an important part of the machine since it automatically stops
any machine activity when wind speed is more than 55 mph because blades may easily be damaged.

Gear Box – is mechanical component to provide speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to
another device. It is needed to increase speed to 1200-1800 RPM for generator.

Generator – is an Energy convertor that is used to convert from Mechanical Energy to Electrical. Typical rotation
speeds for wind generators are 5-20 rpm while a directly connected machine will have an electrical speed between
750-3600 rpm.

Shaft – signals the generator to conduct electricity.

Anemometer – can be used to measure the wind speed.

(2) Rotor – Blades can be assembled with rotor on ground. Rotor is connected with the converter that enables
control of the generator speed, power and power factor, thus giving a wider speed range for production and providing
the ability to feed reactive power to support the grid.

(3) Tower – is a place where turbines may be placed to get more wind. There are four kinds of Tower.
These are Lattice tower, Guyed Pole Tower, Concrete Tower and Tubular Steel Tower.

(1)Lattice Tower (2) Guyed Pole Tower (3) Concrete Tower (4) Tubular Steel Tower

Photos from http://www.google.com.sg/images?sa=3&q=wind+turbine+tower

(4) Foundation - Large towers generally have a small foot print. The size of the buried foundation will vary
depending on soil conditions and other geotechnical site constraints. Sandy soils found on Cape Cod may require
bigger or deeper foundations to stabilize the tower and turbine.

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(4.2) Design Concept of HWT

4.2.1 Lift & Drag of Blades

The lift force is perpendicular with the direction of motion.

The Drag force is the parallel with the direction of motion.

α=low α=Medium (<10 degree) α=High

4.2.2 Calculations for Design

Tip- Speed Ratio (TSR)

Tip –Speed ration is the ratio of rotating blade tip to the speed of free stream wind.
The optimum angle of attack creates the highest lift to drag ratio.

TSR= ΩR/V

a
Area of Swept;

A=πR2

Figure 4.1
Reference from; Gk-12 wind Energy and Aerospace workshop
Hand Book

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Calculation of Wind Power;

-Atmospheric pressure differences accelerate and impart kinetic energy into the air.

Power = K.E/Time =1/2 mass x V 2

Time

Power = ½ Density x Area xV3 (mass/Time = Density x Area x V)

Power of the wind = ½ ρAV3

Rotor Solidity;

Rotor Solidity is the ratio of Blade total Plan form Area (a) to total swept Area.

Solidity =3a/A

low solidity (0.1) =high speed ,low torque

high solidity (>0.8) =low speed, high torque
Ω=rotational speed in radians/sec
R=Rotor radius
V=Wind free stream velocity
A =Swept Area
V = Velocity
D=Diameter of Rotor
ρ =density of Air
a = plan form area

Power Coefficient (Cp) Vs Tip Speed ratio;

Figure 4.2
Reference from; Gk-12 Wind Energy and Aerospace workshop Hand Book (July13th -24th 2009)

By studying Figure 4.3, the relationship between the nominal (or maximum theoretical) output of individual
turbines and their rotor diameter can be seen. This figure shows that larger rotor diameters have correspondingly

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greater nominal output. This is not surprising given the earlier discussion that the theoretical power extracted from
the wind is directly related to the area swept by the turbine blade.

Comparison of Nominal Turbine (kW) and rotor size (meter)

Figure 4.3
Reference from; Report funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative under the Community
Planning and Development Solicitation (#2003-CP-01)

Relationship between Electricity Production & Wind Turbine sizes;

Reference from; Report funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
under the Community Planning and Development Solicitation (#2003-CP-01)

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SECTION 5: ENVIRONMENTAL/SITING ISSUES

5.1 Environmental Permitting and Sitting Issues

National Environmental Agency of Singapore requires taking all feasible measures to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate damage to the environment. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) may be required for certain projects if
the nature, size, or location of a project is likely, directly or indirectly to cause damage to the environment.
Individual site characteristics of a location may trigger National Environmental Agency of Singapore review if
certain environmental impacts can be foreseen (for instance, impacts to wetlands, cultural
resources, or significant land clearing). Any project determined to require preparation of an EIR automatically
becomes a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) under the Cape Cod Commission regulations and thus a DG wind
project would have to meet all the minimum performance standards of the Regional Policy Plan.

Wetland- Seashore Areas and Islands have many wetland resource areas, including salt marshes,
bordering vegetated wetlands, cranberry bogs and vernal pools, all of which play significant roles in maintaining the
health of the natural environment. Consistent with the purposes of local, state, and regional wetland regulations,
which strive to preserve and protect wetland functions, sitting wind turbine facilities within wetlands or their buffers
should be an option of last resort. There may also be significant engineering challenges associated with establishing
stable foundations within wetland environments, ultimately posing considerable cost and ongoing maintenance
concerns.
Noise - Early wind turbine designs did create noise complaints from neighbors. There are two sources of
wind turbine noise, aerodynamic and mechanical. . The predominant sound is the aerodynamic noise (a “swish”,
“swish”, “swish”) from the wind rushing through the three turning blades. This varies depending on the rotor radius,
wind speed, blade surface finish and trailing edge thickness. Significant noise reductions have occurred through
improved engineering by adjusting the thickness of the blades’ trailing edges and by orienting blades upwind of the
turbine tower. A small amount of noise is generated by the mechanical components of the turbine, generally housed
within the nacelle. The meshing gears and generator are the main sources of mechanical noise. It should be noted that
generally, noise falls off sharply with distance from its emanating source. For example, a typical wind turbine 250
meters from a residence is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator. Examples of common sound levels are provided in
Figure 5.1

Figure 5.1 http://www.awea.org/faq/noisefaq.html

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5.2 Estimate Costs and Affecting Economic Payback

Estimate Costs of Wind Turbine Installation

Estimate installed costs of turbines, tower costs per unit size (i.e., $/meters in height), increase as height
increases as shown in Figure 5.2. The reasons for these diseconomies of scale are many folds, for instance higher
towers are far heavier, are manufactured to work with ever heavier turbine systems, need more substantial
foundations, must be engineered to more exacting standards, require more specialized transport, and require very
large cranes which are extremely expensive to mobilize and demobilize. Conversely, the smallest towers are likely to
be lattice rather than the tubular design favored for most large modern towers.

Tower Height Compared to $ Installed Cost / Meter Height

Figure 5.2; Reference from; Report funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
under the Community Planning and Development Solicitation (#2003-CP-01)

Apart from enabling energy generation, storage and transmission, nanotechnology has a marked impact
on increasing the efficiency of energy utilization in different industry sectors.

Electricity consumption sectors in Singapore;

• Residential (R1) - Average consumption of 6,000 kWh

• Residential Electric Heating (R3) – Average consumption of 11,000 kWh

• Small Commercial (G1) – Average consumption of 26,000 kWh

• Medium Commercial (G2) – Average consumption of 1,200,000 kWh

• Large Commercial & Industrial (G3) - Average consumption of 6,000,000 kWh

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Schematic of factors Affecting Economic Payback of a DG (Distribution Generation) Wind Installation

Figure 5.3 Reference from Report funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative under the
Community Planning and Development Solicitation (#2003-CP-01)

5.3Conclution

Wind energy provides less than 1% of worldwide energy needs but it is growing more rapidly than other
energy sources. Key challenges faced by this energy are low efficiency & reliability of the turbines and difficulty
generating high quality energy at low cost. Nanotechnology can improve the efficiency of turbines through nano
composite materials based on carbon nano tubes that can be used to make lightweight and high strength rotor
blades. Nano scale coatings for bearings can also improve the efficiency of wind turbines.

Utility-sized commercial wind projects are usually constructed as wind farms where several turbines are
erected at the same site. Wind projects have been successfully built to power a wide range of applications in diverse
and often extreme environments. One of the newest applications is to place wind farms in shallow offshore areas
where environmental impacts are often lower and the availability of a steady, no turbulent wind flow allows turbines
to operate more efficiently and generate more power

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5.4 Reference:

http://www.enercon.de/en/_home.htm

http://www.scribd.com/doc/24511217/Wind-Turbine

http://www.google.com.sg/images?sa=3&q=wind+turbine+tower

http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=1ZKky0XK6IUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=related:ISBN0471489972#v=onepag
e&q&f=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine

http://indexmundi.com/singapore/electricity_consumption.html

http://www.metaefficient.com/news/new-record-worlds-largest-wind-turbine-7-megawatts.html

http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=4UYm893y-34C&printsec=frontcover&dq=wind+turbine+design &source
=gbs_similarbooks_s&cad=1#v=onepage&q=wind%20turbine%20design&f=false

http://app2.nea.gov.sg/guidebooks.aspx

http://www.awea.org/faq/noisefaq.html

http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/env/sound.htm#mask

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/

http://www.nanoconsulting.com.sg/doc/SingNanoEnergy2010.pdf

Richard Smalley, “Future global energy prosperity: The Terawatt Challenge”, MRS Bullentin, Vol 30, June 2005, 412-
417

-Gk-12 Wind Energy and Aerospace workshop Hand Book (July13th -24th 2009)

-Report funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative under the Community Planning
and Development Solicitation (#2003-CP-01)

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