Wind Power Basics
Wind power can stand alone or complement solar as a source of renewable, emission-free energy.
Wind power has been used since the dawn of time to power man’s machines—from mills to grind grain to sailboats to voyage across the water. When air is in motion, creating wind, it contains energy. That energy can be converted to other forms, including electricity that we can use in our homes and businesses. Unlike the sun, wind may be available 24/7. In fact, a wind project can stand by itself or be an ideal complement to a solar power system on your site.
Profit from the wind
Ontario’s new MicroFIT/FIT Feed-in-Tariff Program rewards homeowners and businesses who install system to harness the wind. These systems generate electricity that must be sent to the electrical grid. Installation of an eligible wind project can earn you 13.5¢ per kilowatt-hour. So wind power can now be affordable and profitable, contributing to Ontario’s clean energy and reducing carbon emissions. In fact, on a windy site, a wind turbine will produce up to twice the output (kilowatt-hours per year) of a comparable solar system.
Wind energy systems
Wind energy systems convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or electrical energy. Think of a wind turbine as the opposite of a fan. The wind turns a propeller (or rotor, consisting of blades attached to a hub), oriented either horizontally or vertically. The propeller spins a shaft. The shaft connects to a generator that makes electricity.
The entire drive train is contained inside an enclosure. A tower supports the rotor and drive train. The taller the tower, the better, because wind speed increases with height, enabling more energy capture. The installation also requires electronic equipment, such as controls, electrical cables, ground support equipment and interconnection equipment. Wind energy systems can either deliver power to the electrical grid (grid-tie systems) or to batteries for storage (off-grid systems).
Wind turbines
Today two main types of wind electric turbines are used: horizontal and vertical. You’re probably familiar with the horizontal-axis wind turbines—you see these often in utility-scale installations or wind farms with capacity from 100 kiloWatts to several megawatts. The electricity from these installations is sent through transmission and distribution lines to support the electrical grid.
Smaller vertical-axis or egg-beater type propellers power smaller installations. Generally they produce 100 kilowatts or less, enough to support some energy needs in a home. Vertical wind turbines cannot produce a maximum power as high as their larger counterparts; however, they can still produce more power annually, because they generate power at lower speeds.
They also have a smaller footprint and are omnidirectional—they do not need to point into the wind to produce the optimal output. A small turbine may also be used together with solar photovoltaic panels to form a hybrid wind-solar system. These installations may either be on or off the electrical grid.
