NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

(J41OD)
B.Tech: EEE IV Year – I Sem

MODULE –I: WIND ENERGY

Unit-I:
• Introduction to energy sources
• Renewable and non-renewable energy sources
• Energy consumption as a measure of Nation’s development
• Strategy for meeting the future energy requirement
• Global and national level energy scenarios
• Prospects of renewable energy sources.

Unit-II:
• Basic principles of Wind Energy Conversion (WEC)
• Site selection consideration
• Types of wind mills
• Basic components of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS)
• Types of WECS
• Applications of wind energy
• Safety system – environmental aspects.

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1Q: Explain in brief about the energy sources?
(OR)
What are primary and secondary energy sources?
Answer:ASRK
Sources are divided into two types
1. Conventional sources: (Non-Renewable Sources)-these are consumable sources.
Ex: Coal, Diesel, Nuclear activity materials etc.
2. Non-conventional sources: (Renewable Sources) -these are non-consumable sources
Ex: Solar, Wind, Tidal, Water etc.

In India, the following sources are used to generate the power.

1. Water energy – It is used in Hydro-Electric Power Plant
2. Coal- It is used in Steam Plant
3. Diesel- It is used in I.C(Internal combustion) Engine plant
4. Nuclear activity materials- It is used in Nuclear Power Plant
5. Non-conventional sources- These are used in Solar, Wind & tidal power plant.

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2Q: What is meant by Renewable energy sources?
Answer:ASRK
Concept of Non-Conventional Energy (Renewable energy):
➢ Renewable energy sources also called non-conventional energy, are sources that
are continuously replenished by natural processes.
➢ For example, solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy -bio-fuels grown sustainably),
hydropower etc., are some of the examples of renewable energy Sources
➢ A renewable energy system converts the energy found in sunlight, wind, falling-
water, seawaves, geothermal heat, or biomass into a form, we can use such as heat
or electricity.
➢ Most of the renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from sun and
wind and can never be exhausted, and therefore they are called renewable.
➢ However, most of the world's energy sources are derived from conventional
sources-fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases.
➢ These fuels are often termed non-renewable energy sources.
➢ Although, the available quantity of these fuels are extremely large, they are
nevertheless finite and so will in principle 'run out' at some time in the future
Renewable energy sources are essentially flows of energy, whereas the fossil and
nuclear fuels are, in essence, stocks of energy

Various forms of renewable energy

➢ Solar energy
➢ Wind energy
➢ Bio energy
➢ Hydro energy
➢ Geothermal energy
➢ Wave and tidal energy

3Q: Explain the significance of energy consumption as a measure of prosperity?

Answer:ASRK
1. Power plays an important role in the working of men whether it is in industry, agriculture,
transportation, human comfort etc.
2. The per capita consumption of electrical power reflects on the living standards and prosperity
of a nation.
3. Any lack of energy will hamper the economic growth and the progress of the country.
4. The development work for power generation from various sources of energy hast to be carried
on since the energy requirements are increasing many folds over the last decades and our
country is no exception.
5. India also has to utilize its natural resources to the maximum extent possible and it has to find
new and efficient ways to produce energy and power.

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 Total installed electricity generation capacity (in MW) by source and ownership as on May 31,
2020. Data from Central Electricity Authority (CEA)

Relative share of installed electric generation capacity by source as on May 31, 2020.

4Q: What are the prospects of non-conventional energy sources in India? Explain
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023
• India has committed to reduce its carbon emissions relative to economic output by 33-
35% by 2030 from 2005 level.
• Renewable energy sector saw major expansion during the past decade.
• At the end of 2019, the total installed capacity of renewables stood at 86 GW, including
37.5 GW of wind power and 34 GW solar power.
• Electricity cost from solar photovoltaics experienced the steepest (82%) cost decline
during the past decade, and costs of onshore wind and offshore wind power reduced by
40% and 29% respectively during the period.
• India is currently the cheapest place to build solar and wind power plants.
• Most solar projects since 2019 saw tariff costs in the Rs 2.50-2.87 per kWh range, which
is 20-30% cheaper than electricity from existing coal plants and up to 50% cheaper than
new coal plants.
• With the increasing share of renewable electricity generation, grid flexibility will be
critical for the security and reliability of electricity supply.
• Grid flexibility will have to be complemented with storage, better connections between
the regional grids, and demand side management.

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 • Effective tools for forecasting wind and solar generation will help grid operators to
manage the variable nature of electricity supply and also prepare for events of very high
and low output.
• Covid-19 and poor financial health of DISCOMs(Distribution Companies) resulted in
uncertainties in growth prospects for renewables.
• Several institutional reforms will be needed to consolidate the gains made in recent
years to sustain the long-term future of renewable energy in India.

5Q: Describe with a sketch the working of a wind energy system with main Components.
(OR)
What is the basic principle of Wind Energy Conversion (WEC)?
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023
Wind Energy System:
• Converts kinetic energy in moving air (wind) into electrical energy.
• If mechanical energy is directly used it is called a wind mill.
• Winds are essentially caused by the solar heating of the atmosphere.
• They carry enormous quantity of energy.
• Wind as a source of power is very attractive because it is plentiful, inexhaustible,
renewable and non-polluting.
• There is no depletion of scarce resources further, it does not impose extra burden
on the environment.
• Wind is simple air in motion
• It is caused by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun,
• Since the earth's surface is made of very different types of land and water, it
absorbs the sun's heat at different rates.
• During the day, the air over land heats up more quickly than the air over water.
• The warm air over the land expands and rises, and the heavier, cooler air rushes
in to take its place, creating winds.
• At night, the winds are reversed because the air cools more rapidly over land
than over water.
• In the same way, the large atmospheric winds that circle the earth are created
because the land near the earth's equator is heated more by the sun than the land
near North and south poles.
Working of Wind Energy:
• The method of using wind to generate electricity is known as wind energy.
• The kinetic energy in the wind is converted into mechanical power by wind
turbines.
• Wind energy is a renewable energy source that determines the wind’s entire
power.
• Wind turbines convert kinetic energy to mechanical power, which is then
transformed into electricity, which is then used as a source of energy.
• Wind Turbines uses blades to collect the winds kinetic energy.
• Wind flows over the blades creating lift (similar to the effect of airplanes wings)
which causes the blades to turn.
• The blades are connected to the drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which
produces (generates) electricity.

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 Main Components of a Wind Energy:

Blades: Most of the turbines have two or three blades. Wind blowing over the blades causes
the blades to lift and rotate.

Hub: Turbine blades fit into the hub that is connected to the turbine's main shaft.

Brake: A disc brake which can be applied mechanically, electrically and hydraulically to
stop the rotor in emergencies

Gearbox Transmission: Gear connects the low speed shaft to high speed shaft and increases
rotational speed from about 30 to 60 RPM to 1000 to 1800 RPM

Generator: Converts the turning motion of a wind turbine’s blades into electricity.

Rotor: The blades and the hub together are called are the rotor.

Nacelle: The nacelle contains a set of gears and a generator. The turning blades are linked
to the generator by the gears.

Shaft: Drives the generator

Pitch: Blades are turned or pitched out of the wind to control the rotor speed.

Tower: The blades and nacelle are mounted on top of a tower. The tower is constructed to
hold the rotor blades off the ground and at an ideal wind speed. Towers are made from
tubular steel, concrete steel or steel lattice. Because wind speed increases with height.

6Q: Give a brief description on types of wind turbines

(OR)
How are Wind Energy Conversion (WEC) systems classified? Discuss in brief.
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023
Wind Energy System:
• Converts kinetic energy in moving air (wind) into electrical energy.
• If mechanical energy is directly used it is called a wind mill.
• Winds are essentially caused by the solar heating of the atmosphere.
• They carry enormous quantity of energy.

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 • Wind as a source of power is very attractive because it is plentiful, inexhaustible,
renewable and non-polluting.
• There is no depletion of scarce resources further, it does not impose extra burden
on the environment.
• Wind is simple air in motion
• It is caused by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun,
• Since the earth's surface is made of very different types of land and water, it
absorbs the sun's heat at different rates.
• During the day, the air over land heats up more quickly than the air over water.
• The warm air over the land expands and rises, and the heavier, cooler air rushes
in to take its place, creating winds.
• At night, the winds are reversed because the air cools more rapidly over land
than over water.
• In the same way, the large atmospheric winds that circle the earth are created
because the land near the earth's equator is heated more by the sun than the land
near North and south poles.

Types of Wind Machines:

Wind machines are generally classified as follows:
1. Horizontal axis wind machines.
2. Vertical axis wind machines.

1. Horizontal axis wind machines.

• This is the most common wind turbine design.

• In addition to being parallel to the ground, the axis of blade rotation is
parallel to the wind flow.
• Some machines are designed to operate in an upwind mode, with the blades
upwind of the tower.
• In this case, a tail vane is usually used to keep the blades facing into the wind.
• Other designs operate in a downwind mode so that the wind passes the
tower before striking the blades. Without a tail vane, the machine rotor
naturally tracks the wind in a downwind mode.
• Commonly found horizontal axis wind mills are aero-turbine mill with 35%
efficiency and farm mills with 15% efficiency.

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 2. Vertical axis wind machines.

• The main reason for this is that they do not take advantage of the higher
wind speeds at higher elevations above the ground as well as horizontal
axis turbines.
• The basic vertical axis designs are the Darrieus, which has curved blades and
efficiency of 35%, the Giromill which has straight blades and efficiency of 35%,
and the Savonius which uses scoops to catch the wind and the efficiency of 30%.
• A vertical axis machine need not be oriented with respect to wind direction.
• Because the shaft is vertical, the transmission and generator can be mounted at
ground level allowing easier servicing and a lighter weight, lower cost tower.
• Although vertical axis wind turbines have these advantages, their designs are not
as efficient at collecting energy from the wind as are the horizontal machine
designs.

7Q: Derive the expression for power developed due to wind?

Answer: ASRK10-5-2023

• The power in the wind can be computed by using of Kinetics (Kinetic means
relating to or resulting from motion).
• The wind mill works on the principle of converting Kinetic energy of the wind to
mechanical energy.
• We know that power is equal to energy per unit time.
• The energy available is the kinetic energy of the wind.
• The kinetic energy of any particle is equal to one half its mass times the square of
its velocity.
i.e., Kinetic Energy of particle = ½ mv 2 ____________ (1)
Where, m : Mass of particle (kg)
v : Velocity of particle (m/s)

• The amount of air passing in unit time, through an area ‘A’, with velocity ‘V’ is A x
V, and its mass ‘m’ is equal to its volume multiplied by its density ‘ρ’ of air.
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 i.e., m = ρ AV____________ (2)
Where, m is the mass of air transversing the area ‘A’ swept by the rotating blades
of a wind mill type generator.
• Substitute Equation (2) in Equation (1)
𝟏
We get Kinteic Energy = 𝟐 𝛒𝐀𝐕 𝐱 𝑽𝟐
𝟏
= 𝟐 𝛒𝐀𝑽𝟑 watts

Equation for wind power:

• The equation for wind power(P) is given by
𝟏
P = 𝛒𝐀𝑽𝟑
𝟐
P = 𝟎. 𝟓𝛒𝐀𝑽𝟑
where, ρ = Air density in kg/m3= 1.23 kg/m3
A =Rotor swept area (m2).
V = wind velocity (m/s)
P = Power (W)

Sample Problem: If the wind speed is 6 m/s and the blade length is 12 m, calculate the
power in the wind.
Sol: Given:
Wind speed v = 6 m/s,
Blade length l = 12 m,
Air density ρ = 1.23 kg/m.

The area is given by, A = πr 2

A = π × 122= 452.4 m2

The wind power formula is given as,

P = 1/2ρAV 3
P = 1/2 x (1.23) x (452.4) x (6)3
P = 1/2 x (1.23) x (452.4) x (216)
P = 60,096 W

8Q: Describe the main considerations in selecting a site for wind generators.
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023

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Some of the main site selection considerations are given below:
1. High annual average wind speed
2. Availability of anemometry data
3. Availability of wind V(t) Curve at the proposed site
4. Wind structure at the proposed site
5. Altitude of the proposed site
6. Terrain and its aerodynamic
7. Local Ecology
8. Distance to road or railways
9. Nearness of site to local centre/users
10. Nature of ground
11. Favourable land cost

1. High annual average wind speed:

• A fundamental requirement to the successful use of WECS, obviously, is an adequate
supply of wind.
• The wind velocity is the critical parameter.
• The power in the wind P, through a given cross-sectional area for a uniform wind
velocity V, is P = 1/2ρAV3
• The speed generated by the wind mill depends on cubic values of velocity of wind,
the small increases in velocity affect the power in the wind.
• For example, Doubling the velocity, increases power.
• Thus, a high average wind velocity is the principle fundamental parameter.

3. Availability of anemometry data:

• It is another important siting factor.

• The principal object is to measure the wind speed which basically determines the
WECS output power, but there are many practical difficulties with the
instrumentation and measurement methods.
• The anemometry data should be available over some time period at the precise spot
where any proposed WECS is to be built and that this should be accomplished before
a siting decision is made.

4. Availability of wind V(t) Curve at the proposed site:

• This important curve determines the maximum energy in the wind and hence is the
principle initially controlling factor in predicting the electrical output and hence
revenue return to the WECS machines.
• It is desirable to have average wind speed V such that V>=12-16 km/hr (3.5 – 4.5
m/sec) which is about the lower limit at which present large scale WECS generators
“cut in” i.e., start turning.
• The V(t) Curve also determines the reliability of the delivered WECS generator
power,

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 • if the V(t) curve goes to zero there be no generated power during that time.

5. Wind structure at the proposed site:

• The ideal case for the WECS would be a site such that the V(t) Curve was flat, i.e., a
smooth steady wind that blows all the time;
• but a typical site is always less than ideal.
• Wind specially near the ground is turbulent and gusty, and changes rapidly in
direction and in velocity.
• This departure from homogeneous flow is collectively referred to as “the structure of
the wind”.
6. Altitude of the proposed site:
• It affects the air density and thus the power in the wind and hence the useful WECS
electric power output.
• Also, it is known that the wind tend to have higher velocities at higher altitudes
• One must be careful to distinguish altitude from height above ground.
• They are not the same except for a sea level WECS site.

7. Terrain and its aerodynamic:

• One should know about terrain (type of land) of the site to be chosen.
• If the WECS is to be placed near the top of hill facing the prevailing wind, then the
aeroturbine is always perpendicular to the actual wind flow.

8. Local Ecology:
• If the surface is bare rock, then lower hub heights will be needed resulting the cost of
the structure will be less.
• If trees or grass are present, then higher hub heights will be needed resulting the cost
of the structure will be more.
9. Distance, to Roads or Railways:
• This is another factor the system engineer must consider for heavy machinery,
structures, materials, blades and other apparatus will have to be moved into any
chosen WECS site.
10.Nearness of site to local centre/users:
• This criteria minimizes transmission line length and hence losses and costs.
11.Nature of ground:
• Ground condition should be such that the foundation for a WECS are secured.
• Ground surface should be stable.
• Erosion problem should not be there, as it could possibly later wash out the
foundation of a WECS, destroying the whole system.
12.Favourable land cost:
• Land cost should be favourable because of other siting costs, the total WECS system
cost will increase.
13. Other conditions such as icing problem, salt spray or blowing dust should not
present at the site, as they may affect aeroturbine blades or environmental is generally
adverse to machinery and electrical apparatus.

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9Q: Write short notes on: Applications of wind energy.
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023
Application of Wind Energy:
1. The wind energy is used to propel the sailboats in river and seas to transport men
and materials from one place to another.
2. Wind energy is used to run pumps to draw water from the grounds through wind
mills.
3. Wind energy has also been used to run flourmills to grind the grains like wheat and
corn into flour.
4. Now-a-days wind energy is being used to generate electricity.

Wind energy may be considered as the world’s fastest growing energy source.
By the development of technology, wind power may become most economical and
environmental friendly source of electricity in many countries in the coming 10 to 20 years.

10Q: What are the advantages and limitations of renewable energy sources.
Answer: ASRK10-5-2023
Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy:
Advantages Disadvantages
Renewable energy sources will not run out. Wind turbines can be very noisy.
Solar panels are cheap to maintain. Not all places in the world can make use of
renewable energy sources.
Unused energy produced by households can Wind turbines can only be used if the weather
be sold back to the main national grid. conditions are suitable.
Renewable energy technologies could produce The technology required is often expensive to
many jobs in the future. purchase.
Renewable energy sources are clean to use as Usually, the energy is produced at a slower
there are fewer greenhouse gas emissions. rate than when using fossil fuels.
Due to use of a stable source of energy, the A lot of land is required to set up large scale
cost of renewable fuels does not change much. systems to make enough electricity.
Renewable energy technologies can be used Hydroelectric systems can harm environments
on small or large scales-e.g. one house or an and wildlife.
entire wind farm.

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