Wind Energy Basics

by Gipe, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781890132071
• ISBN10: 1890132071
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

Summary

Paul Gipe, one of the world's leading experts on wind power has now created an introductory guide to wind energy systems. This book gives an overview of the burgeoning use of wind energy around the globe, describing and analyzing the most affordable small wind generators, including the new generation of highly practical micro turbines.
Wind Energy Basics includes detailed information on planning, purchasing, siting, and installing a wind system, and on integrating wind power with solar photovoltaics for more cost-effective and reliable off-the-grid applications.

Author Biography

In addition to Wind Power for Home and Business, Paul Gipe is the author of A Glossary of Wind Energy Terms and Wind Energy Comes of Age, selected by the American Library Association as one of the outstanding academic books of 1995. In 1998, the World Renewable Energy Congress awarded Gipe one of its highest honors for two decades of work promoting clean and sustainable energy. He lives in Bakersfield, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Overview	p. 1
Fundamentals	p. 7
Power in the Wind	p. 7
Swept Area	p. 9
Wind Speed Distribution	p. 10
Wind Resources	p. 11
Increases in Wind Speed and Power with Height	p. 12
Units of Measurement	p. 12
Relative Size	p. 13
Estimating Performance	p. 17
Swept Area Method	p. 18
Power Curve Method	p. 20
Manufacturer's Estimates	p. 21
Wind Turbine Technology	p. 25
Configurations	p. 25
Two or Three Blades	p. 25
Blade Materials	p. 25
Orientation	p. 26
Robustness	p. 26
Overspeed Control	p. 26
Generators	p. 28
Micro Turbines	p. 29
LVM Aerogen	p. 31
Marlec 913	p. 31
Ampair 100	p. 32
Southwest Windpower Air 303	p. 32
Aerocraft	p. 34
Mini Turbines	p. 34
World Power Technologies	p. 35
Bergey Windpower	p. 36
Household-size Turbines	p. 36
Proven Engineering	p. 38
Wind Turbine Industries	p. 38
Novel Turbines	p. 38
Towers	p. 40
Rooftop Mounting	p. 41
Off-the-Grid Applications	p. 43
Hybrid Wind and Solar Systems	p. 44
Wind Pumping	p. 48
Wind Heating	p. 50
Recreational Vehicles	p. 54
Cabins and Cottages	p. 54
Electric Fence Charging	p. 57
Electric Vehicle Charging	p. 57
Telecommunications	p. 57
Village Power	p. 59
Interconnected or Utility Intertie	p. 61
Interconnection Technology	p. 63
Induction Generators	p. 63
Inverters	p. 64
Degree of Self-use	p. 65
Net Metering	p. 67
Power Quality and the Utility	p. 67
European Distributed Generation	p. 67
Siting and Safety	p. 71
Tower Height	p. 71
Tower Placement	p. 75
Noise	p. 75
Urban Wind	p. 75
Safety	p. 76
Moving Machinery	p. 76
Electrical	p. 77
Batteries	p. 77
Towers	p. 77
Servicing	p. 78
Buying Small Turbines	p. 81
Towers	p. 82
Control Panels	p. 83
Price	p. 84
Do-it-yourself Turbines	p. 85
Used Wind Turbines	p. 85
Collective Buying Power	p. 86
Subsidies	p. 87
Installing Small Turbines	p. 89
Tower Raising	p. 89
Griphoists	p. 90
Choosing a Griphoist	p. 93
Tower Conductors	p. 93
Maintenance	p. 95
Raising a Small Turbine	p. 95
Conclusion	p. 103
Characteristics of Selected Small Turbines	p. 106
Selected Micro Turbines	p. 106
Selected Mini Turbines	p. 106
Selected Household-size Turbines	p. 108
Resources	p. 110
Selected Small Wind Turbine Manufacturers	p. 110
Guyed Towers for Micro and Mini Wind Turbines	p. 111
Reconditioned Small Turbines	p. 112
Selected Manufacturers and Distributors of Wind Pumps	p. 112
Wind Measurement Devices	p. 112
Inverters and Controls	p. 113
Griphoists	p. 113
Wind Energy Associations	p. 113
Sources of Wind Data	p. 114
Mail-order Catalogs	p. 115
Publications	p. 115
Plans	p. 115
Books	p. 116
Magazines	p. 117
Market Surveys	p. 117
Videos	p. 117
Electronic Information Sources	p. 117
Index	p. 118
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.