What is wind power?

Wind power, in its most basic form, is taking the breezes and winds that you feel on your face or that cause a flag to flap and converting it into energy. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain, and for irrigation.

Wind

Wind is a clean, inexhaustible, indigenous energy resource that can generate enough electricity to power millions of homes and businesses. Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing forms of electricity generation in the world. The United States can currently generate more than 25,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the wind, which is enough to power about 7 million average American homes. Industry experts predict that, with proper development, wind energy could provide 20% of this nation's energy needs.

SynOphSis

Background

An energy crisis and depletion are being faced because of rising of crude oil price and adverse effect on environment. So other alternative and cleaner energy sources have to be used rather than diesel and gasoline.

As a solution for this scenario renewable energy should have to be used for our energy requirement. Solar energy, wind energy and biomass energy are some of available renewable energy sources in Sri Lanka.

The feasibility of such energy sources depends on many factors, including resource availability technology, technical expertise etc. There is a need for Research and Development in order to promote renewable energy used in Sri Lanka.

Some part of country there is a good wind potential. However, large scale usage of wind energy is not seen in Sri Lanka. 80 % of domestic and industrial electricity requirement have been fulfilled with the national grid. And the rest should be needed to electrify especially in rural energy applications.

Objectives

· Review of an existing energy resources.

· Identify the rural area energy requirement.

· Design and testing a vertical axis wind turbine as a battery charging application.

· Disseminate the knowledge through a guide line of a small scale wind turbine.

§ Booklet and software

§ Awareness materials

Methodology

· Field survey will be conducted to identify rural energy requirement in the area where wind energy available.

· Literature survey.

· Application of theoretical model of rotor fluid dynamic concepts.

· Validation of theoretical design by wind tunnel testing.

· Construction of prototype and field testing.

· Design a dissemination guide line and software.

Expected outcomes

· Review of small scale vertical axis wind turbines

· Development of a vertical axis wind turbine for battery charging application for rural areas

· Publish a dissemination booklet and software as a design guide line of vertical axis wind turbines

· Distribute a booklet through people to enhance their knowledge about wind power and wind turbines.

Our Team

Dushan [ Pleta ]















Nalaka











Me [ Asela ]

Soluton for Energy crisis

We all know that we are facing massive energy catastrophe in the present. The reason for the crisis is the rapid increase in the crude oil. The price of oil barrels now twice the value of the last year. It badly affects the whole world. Especially the countries depend on the oil for their energy requirements.

The price of the crude oil not reaches its peak valve yet. So it is still increasing. Thus we have to go for the alternative energy souses for our survival.

Go for the Renewable energy is the best solution for that.

What is renewable energy? Renewable energy sources can be replenished in a short period of time. Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which may be naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation.

So as a final year project we choose design a vertical axis wind turbine. Mainly there are two

types of wind turbines. One is Horizontal axis and other one Vertical axis. We chose vertical axis one because it is new for Sri Lanka. Actually it is not a simple task, we have to design it according to the complicated aerodynamic theories.

We have a team of three people for this project including me. (Nalaka , Dushan,me). First we are trying to design a small scale one. Actually it can only generate about 50w of electricity.