Guided Tour on Wind Energy

Welcome to your own guided tour on wind energy.
Each one of the tours is a self-contained unit, so you may take the tours in any order.
We suggest, however, that after the introduction you start with the first section on Wind Energy Resources, since it makes it much easier to understand the other sections.

1. Introduction
2. Wind Energy Resources
   1. Where does Wind Energy Come From?
   2. The Coriolis Force
   3. Global Winds
   4. Geostrophic Wind
   5. Local Winds: Sea Breezes
   6. Local Winds: Mountain Winds
   7. The Energy in the Wind: Air Density and Rotor Area
   8. Wind Turbines Deflect the Wind
   9. The Power of the Wind: Cube of Wind Speed
   10. Wind Speed Measurement: Anemometers
   11. Wind Speed Measurement in Practice
   12. The Wind Rose
   13. Wind Rose Plotter Programme (requires Netscape 4, or IE 4)
   14. Roughness and Wind Shear
   15. Wind Speed Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   16. Wind Shear and Escarpments
   17. The Roughness Rose
   18. Wind Speed Variability
   19. Turbulence
   20. Wind Obstacles
   21. Wind Shade
   22. Guide to the Wind Shade Calculator
   23. Wind Shade Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   24. Wake Effect
   25. Park Effect
   26. Speed Up Effects: Tunnel Effect
   27. Speed Up Effects: Hill Effect
   28. Selecting a Wind Turbine Site
   29. Offshore Wind Conditions
   30. Wind Map of Western Europe
   31. Wind Map of Denmark
3. Computing Wind Turbine Energy Output
   1. Describing Wind Variations: Weibull Distribution
   2. Weibull Distribution Plotter Programme (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   3. The Average Bottle Fallacy
   4. Mean (Average) Power of the Wind
   5. Betz' Law
   6. Power Density Function
   7. Power Curve of a Wind Turbine
   8. The Power Coefficient
   9. Guide to the Wind Turbine Power Calculator
   10. Wind Turbine Power Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   11. Annual Energy Output from a Wind Turbine
4. How Does a Wind Turbine Work?
   1. Wind Turbine Components
   2. Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines - Lift
   3. Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines - Stall and Drag
   4. Adding Wind Speeds and Directions
   5. Rotor Aerodynamics
   6. Rotor Blades
   7. Power Control of Wind Turbines
   8. The Wind Turbine Yaw Mechanism
   9. Wind Turbine Towers
   10. Wind Turbine Generators
   11. Synchronous Generators
   12. Changing Generator Rotational Speed
   13. Asynchronous (Induction) Generators
   14. Changing the Number of Generator Poles
   15. Variable Slip Generators for Wind Turbines
   16. Indirect Grid Connection of Wind Turbines
   17. Gearboxes for Wind Turbines
   18. The Electronic Wind Turbine Controller
   19. Controlling Power Quality from Wind Turbines
   20. Size of Wind Turbines
   21. Wind Turbine Safety
   22. Wind Turbine Occupational Safety
5. Designing Wind Turbines
   1. Basic Load Considerations
   2. Wind Turbines: Horizontal or Vertical Axis Machines?
   3. Wind Turbines: Upwind or Downwind?
   4. Wind Turbines: How Many Blades?
   5. Optimising Wind Turbines
   6. Designing for Low Mechanical Noise from Wind Turbines
   7. Designing for Low Aerodynamic Noise from Wind Turbines
6. Manufacturing and Installing Wind Turbines
   1. Manufacturing Wind Turbine Nacelles (QTVR panorama requires QuickTime plugin)
   2. Testing Wind Turbine Rotor Blades NEW
   3. Manufacturing Wind Turbine Towers
   4. Welding Turbine Towers
   5. Installing and Assembling Wind Turbine Towers
7. Research and Development in Wind Energy
   1. Research and Development in Wind Energy
   2. Offshore Wind Power Research
   3. Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations
   4. Offshore Foundations: Traditional Concrete
   5. Offshore Foundations: Gravitation + Steel
   6. Offshore Foundations: Mono Pile
   7. Offshore Foundations: Tripod
8. Wind Turbines in the Electrical Grid
   1. Wind Energy Variations
   2. Seasonal Variation in Wind Energy
   3. Wind Turbines and Power Quality Issues
   4. Grid Connection of Offshore Wind Parks
9. Wind Energy and the Environment
   1. Wind Turbines in the Landscape
   2. Sound from Wind Turbines
   3. Measuring and Calculating Sound Levels
   4. Sound Map Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   5. Wind Turbine Sound Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
   6. Energy Payback Period for Wind Turbines
   7. Birds and Wind Turbines
   8. Birds and Offshore Wind Turbines
   9. Shadow Casting from Wind Turbines
   10. Calculating Shadows from Wind Turbines
   11. Refining Shadow Calculations for Wind Turbines
   12. Shadow Variations from Wind Turbines
   13. Guide to the Wind Turbine Shadow Calculator
   14. Wind Turbine Shadow Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
10. Wind Energy Economics
    1. What does a Wind Turbine Cost?
    2. Installation Costs for Wind Turbines
    3. Operation and Maintenance Costs
    4. Income from Wind Turbines
    5. Wind Energy and Electrical Tariffs
    6. Basic Economics of Investment
    7. Wind Energy Economics
    8. Guide to the Wind Energy Economics Calculator
    9. Wind Energy Economics Calculator (requires Netscape 3, 4, or IE 4)
    10. The Economics of Offshore Wind Energy
    11. Wind Energy and Employment

We keep adding pages to this guided tour. We'll e-mail you when they are ready, if you register with our Mailing List.