Wind energy is a green and clean energy source and harnessing it does provide a myriad of benefits. If you’re interested in wind energy and all its potential, getting familiar with its terminologies will go a long way in fostering your understanding of the field. Here are some relevant terms that will aid your understanding in our wind energy glossary.
A
American Clean Power:
This is a group of companies involved in renewable energy harnessing, that helps in promoting, researching, and equipping of wind energy Farm or industries in America.
Airfoil:
A wind turbine consists of blades, airfoil is a turbine blade that tends to improve aerodynamics and helps in reducing or cancelling noise production.
ARENA:
This acronym simply implies, Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This agency advocates for green energy, pointing it’s several importance as well as pointing out it’s benefits.
Armature:
This term describes part of an alternator in motion, usually characterised by magnets and are often attached to blades and hubs
B
Balancing:
This term simply describes equilibrium between or amongst turbine blades, it involves equal weight distribution between the two axes , as an unbalanced blade can result to work hazard and production of damaging vibrations.
Blades:
These are parts of the turbine that helps in harnessing the wind, it has several parts and functions.
Breaking System:
This helps regulate the speed of a wind turbine to the maximum required safe level, so as to avoid overheating, mechanical or electrical damage as well as reduce risk of work hazards.
C
Capacity:
This measures the maximum power that can be generated or transmitted. It’s S.I unit is in megawatts for the active power and Megavolt amperes for the apparent or less active power.
Community mind:
This is when few or more members of the community where the wind farm is located is a stakeholder in the project. However, it’s to say that the farm belongs to the community.
Cut in Speed:
This is the speed in which Significant output of electricity is achieved. At this speed, there’s significant level of production attained. This is usually, 10 miles per hour.
Cut out speed:
This is the Maximum speed in which turbine blades are paused to avoid damage. Usually between 55-65 miles per hour.
D
Darrieus Rotor :
Often know as VAMT( Vertical axis wind Turbine), that creates rotation when wind force hits the aerofoil. It was invented by G.J.M Darrieus in 1929.
Downwind Turbines:
This is the horizontal axis of a wind turbine, that functions by turning the hub and blades away from a wind source.
F
Fixed Turbine:
This type of turbine is usually situated offshores on seabeds.
Furling:
This is the process wteregu the head of a Wind turbine tends to move away from the direction of the wind, horizontally or vertically, in cases of high speed, to protect itself. This is usually a defence mechanism.
Full load Hours:
This is a mathematical value obtained when the average production of a wind turbine is divided by its rated power.
Foundation:
This is the bedrock of a wind turbine farm or wind turbine. It is a geographical footing or stronghold.
G
Giromill:
These are articulating straight blades in a H Patten, around the vertical axis of a turbine.
Green Pricing:
This is more of increasing the value of green energy generated source of electricity. This is done by increasing the price of green energy generated electricity and making it more expensive than electricity generated from other conventional means, as well as Making customers of green energy electricity happy and ego satisfied.
Guy Anchor:
This is a connection of wires that runs a full course to the wind turbine tower.
Guy Radius:
This is the radius in meters between the wind turbine tower and the Guy Anchor.
H
Hub:
This is a blade support system that is attached to the speed rotor shaft in the nacelle.
Hybrid System:
This is a connection of two or more clean energy producing systems. It is a combining force. Example, Geothermal energy and wind energy.
I
Inverters:
This allows the conversion of direct current to alternating current , allowing electric power supply to facilities or any other available system.
J
Jacket:
This is braced metal frame work located at the bottom of the tower, which has its primary function of protection and support.
K
Katabatic Wind:
This type of wind is influenced by the force of gravity, it is usually flowing from the downwind direction.
Kilowatt:
This is a term that describes the standard unit of electrical power, and it’s equivalent to 1000 (a thousand) Watts.
M
Magnetic Locking:
Reduces the startup rate of small wind turbines when wind rate is at low speeds.
N
Nacelle:
This structure houses the wind turbine components, ranging from the rotor, gear box, shaft, et ce tera. It is situated at the roof of the wind turbine.
NIMBY:
This acronym stands for not in my backyard, it’s a usual slang used by the inhabitants of the supposedly to be wind farm, to the operators. It is a form of initial decline by them, but after proper settlement, an agreement is usually reached.
O
O&M:
This acronym stands for Operation and Maintenance. This encompasses safety measures and precautions done or carried out to ensure and maintain a safety working environment in the wind farm.
P
Payback period:
This is the period of time in which savings becomes directly proportional to the startup capital. It helps in been committed to saving and recovering profit.
Power Curve:
This shows the amount of power that has been generated by a turbine at a particular wind speed level. It gives an insight on the amount of electricity that can be generated at a project site.
R
Reynolds Number:
This number describes the aerodynamics of an aerofill, this numbers are usually unique. They work together with the angle of attack to address the limits of aerofill.
Root Anchor:
This are solid rods underneath the wind turbine. It is achieved by using more of steel rods and less of concrete. It’s usually flat and serves as a foot hold.
Root Ends:
This are usually flat piece of blade that is attached to the hub
Rotor:
These are visible parts of the wind turbine, that are flexible. They can be seen, felt and touched.
Rate Wind Speed:
This is the speed at which a wind turbine reaches it’s expected speed limit of power production. Small wind turbines is usually between the rates of 30-35 miles per hour.
S
Start-up Speed:
This is the initial speed of a turbine, where the rotor starts rotating. No power is released until a cut-in speed is reached.
Survival Wind Speed:
The maximum speed or limit a turbine can’t exceed otherwise, will result to damage and breakdown of turbines.
Suction Pole:
This device is use to penetrate seabeds and tap into offshore wind turbines.
Small Wind Turbine:
Turbines with less than 300sqm rotor are referred to as small wind turbines.
Stall Regulated Wind Turbines:
These types of turbines are usually larger, with rotor greater than 300sqm. They have fixed larger blades, which are immovable.
T
Tip Ratio Speed:
This compares the movement of the tip of a turbine blade to the wind speed.
Twist:
The spaces between the root blade and tip blade of a turbine. However, it is advisable to have more pitch towards the root of the blade than the tip of the blade.
Turbines:
This device comes in different forms and types, it’s primary function is the conversion of different energy forms into mechanical motion, that can be harnessed to produce electricity.
Turbine lifetime:
This is the life span assigned particularly to a turbine, before it starts dwindling in it’s function and efficacy. The maximum life expectancy of a turbine is actually 20 years of age.
Terrawatt(TW):
This measures the amount of light or energy used by different countries and continents. It’s the S.I unit of consumable transmittable electrical powers.
Thrust Bearing:
This term describes the axial force within the median line of a shaft.
Thrust Curve:
This indicates the amount of force to relate wind speed at the top of the wind tower.
U
U-Shape Curve:
This depicts the adjustment or reaction to the wind farm production. It has been recorded that drastic fall or decline, when project is been made public and a slight acceleration after everything is been set in place.
Utility Scale Unit:
This consists of a large group of owned co-operation turbines, with an energy of more than 100kilowatts capacity and a local self owned turbine of 100 kilowatts in size.
V
Variable Pitch Turbine:
This is a type of wind that has an adjustable attack angle blade.
W
Wind Resource Assessment:
This uses topographic and geographical components, and features to analyse the possible wind energy remnant in a particular area and as well as predict the possibility of active energy production.
Wind Power Class:
Just as the name implies, this term is use for checking the wind’s signal strength. It ranges from a scale of 0-7, it helps check the be quality of the wind in every given area in a wind farm. 0 indicates the weakest signal strength and 7 represents the strongest or the finest of it all.
Wind Vane:
This is a mechanical device that when fused to an elevated structure rotates to show and measure the wind direction.
Wind Monitoring System:
This generalizes various instruments use for measuring different wind parameters, such as it’s Speed, direction, temperature, height, et ce tera. The instrument include; the wind vane, anemometer, et ce tera.
Wind Farm Cluster Management:
This is the collection of the total number of existing wind farm, grading and categorising them in various order or hierarchy, in other to achieve good network management and production plan.
Wind Atlas Analysis And Application Program:
This is a system software with it’s primary function of predicting and checking wind climate and possible energy output from a farm.
Wind Farm :
This is an erected structure, with the sole aim of harnessing wind energy through wind turbines and supply electricity through substations to the electric grid and other receiving ends.
Y
Yaw:
The process whereby the horizontal axis of a wind turbine moves above the vertical axis.
Z
Zone of Visual Influence:
Landmark around a wind farm, where several numbers of turbine can be seen, it can be referred to as a turbine park. In the ArcGis map, it is represented in color codes.
