Ten things you need to know about wind energy

1. People have used the power of the wind to make things for over 4.000 years. The windmills we know from the past are used to pound rice or pump water. It is now used to generate electricity to create more and more useful value.

Ten things you need to know about wind energy

2. Modern large wind turbines are not simple, just like a car, they are very complex. It includes subsystems such as blade system, transmission system, power system, control system, etc., which can produce stable and efficient power output only after integration and matching. The total number of internal components exceeds 8.000.

3. Global crazy wind energy. By the end of last year (2015), global wind power installed capacity reached 432 billion watts (432 GW), an increase of 63 billion watts (63 GW) the previous year. This is equivalent to 31.500 times the power of a 2 megawatt (2 MW) plant commonly seen in Taiwan today, and is equivalent to about 11 Taichung thermal power plants (5,8 gigawatts (5,8 GW) each). You can imagine the impressive sight of more than 30.000 wind turbines placed together. Furthermore, imagine further if these units are replaced by 11 thermal power plants, which together emit carbon dioxide. Cooked well and badly, one can imagine.

4. Wind power generation technology is relatively mature and has become a stable source of electricity in many countries. In 2015, Denmark's wind energy accounted for 42% of the country's electricity consumption. Through the interconnection function of the electricity network on the European continent, it is possible to communicate with each other and conduct wind energy trading. Denmark set a record on March 8, 2016. For 24 consecutive hours, the domestic source of electricity is wind power, and 40% of the extra electricity can be sold to neighboring Germany, Sweden and Norway.5. Taiwan is rich in wind resources. One of the world's top wind farms (the higher the average wind speed, the higher the total energy production) is located in the Taiwan Strait. It is conservatively estimated that about 30 gigawatts (30 GW) of offshore wind power can be developed, which is equivalent to 23 The first nuclear power station (1,26 billion watts (1,26 GW)), or five Taichung thermal power stations. If it can be replaced, it will not only reduce a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions, but also eliminate the risks of using nuclear power and storing nuclear waste.

6. How much wind power is installed in Taiwan? There are currently more than 320 large wind turbines with a combined generating capacity of more than 640 gigawatts (640 MW), but less than 1% of the country's electricity production. The current plan is to reach the target of more than 1.000 wind turbines with a capacity of 5,2 gigawatts (5,2 GW) by 2030. The government and manufacturers are actively promoting development and we expect to see a thriving wind industry in Taiwan in the coming years ten years.

7. Wind energy is not an expensive renewable energy source! In 2009, onshore wind power was already very cheap, averaging about NT$2,2 per kilowatt hour. By 2015, the average kWh of electricity was closer to NT$1,50, which is already very close to the current cost of thermal power generation. If the carbon reduction benefits of wind power are taken into account, it is certainly more competitive than thermal power.

So much great information. But in reality, wind power still has some concerns. Let's move on:

8. The wind power it is unstable and uncontrollable. In Taiwan, when there is no wind in the summer, no matter how high or big it is, there is no way to turn it to generate electricity. At this time, you feel a little heroic and useless! Ironically, under the strong winds brought by the northeast monsoon, the demand for electricity consumption is relatively low at this time, but it provides a very large amount of power generation. Very helpless, the wind of nature is not something we can control. This is the first fatal wind energy injury.

9. Is more air better? Actually, it's not very windy. When the wind is strong, power should not be underestimated. Just trying to generate electricity can damage the equipment. So you can see that when the wind is strong or hurricane, the speed usually exceeds 25 meters per second, and these big fans dare not turn and stand still. If you really get excited, it's no joke. Many wind turbines that have collapsed have also proven that there is no good end to movement under strong winds. This is the second unbearably heavy drawback.

10. Does wind power make people sick? I have heard that people who live near wind turbines experience a symptom of wind turbine syndrome. Whether this is due to the loud noise of the wind turbine operation, the low-frequency noise implied in the continuous rotation (not heard but felt by the nerves), the hum of wind shear, or the constantly rotating shadows due to the sun's rays, for the nearby passengers have more or less impact. Although regulations in various countries limit the installation of wind turbines to a fixed range or conditions, even this seems to be a problem for some people. This phenomenon is still unclear, both sides have their own views.