Wind power explored as oil alternative
With the cost of oil recently hitting $100 per barrel, alternative sources of energy are in great demand by the global population. At the current high rate of oil consumption and low rate of discovery, current estimates call for worldwide oil supplies to be exhausted within 50 years.
Researchers around the world, including at Hopkins, are feverishly exploring cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. Scientists are attempting to maximize the energy output and minimize the cost of a variety of approaches. One group at Hopkins is focusing on wind power.
Wind power has the potential to become an excellent source of renewable energy, with no carbon footprint, no possibility of wind depletion and a good energy output.
Many countries in Europe have already taken to using wind farms for power. Twenty percent of all electricity consumed in Denmark is wind-generated, and Great Britain hopes to light every home in the nation using wind turbines by 2020.
In the United States, about a quarter of the country's land area is suitable for wind power production, which would generate more than enough electricity to power the entire country.
Researchers at the Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, led by Charles Meneveau, have been studying the interactions between wind turbines and the surrounding air and their subsequent effects on turbine efficiency and local weather.
Using a wind tunnel, Meneveau simulates actual wind conditions on a small scale, with currents passing through arrays of model airplane propellers. A smoke-like material is then mixed with the air so the movement of the wind can be observed.
A laser generates pulses of light in quick succession, and a camera records the position of the particles during each flash. In this way, Meneveau can generate velocity vector diagrams that allow for highly detailed calculations of the energy carried by wind - the same energy harvested by power plants.
Based on such calculations, wind power can be implemented with greater efficiency, since the positioning of the turbines can be adjusted to obtain the maximum energy input.
Furthermore, Meneveau's research has demonstrated that clusters of wind turbines have the potential to affect local weather patterns, including humidity and temperature. This is an important issue if wind power becomes more widely used.
These findings have the potential to make wind power one of the most environmentally friendly and affordable sources of energy, curbing carbon emissions and making our planet a little greener.
Researchers around the world, including at Hopkins, are feverishly exploring cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. Scientists are attempting to maximize the energy output and minimize the cost of a variety of approaches. One group at Hopkins is focusing on wind power.
Wind power has the potential to become an excellent source of renewable energy, with no carbon footprint, no possibility of wind depletion and a good energy output.
Many countries in Europe have already taken to using wind farms for power. Twenty percent of all electricity consumed in Denmark is wind-generated, and Great Britain hopes to light every home in the nation using wind turbines by 2020.
In the United States, about a quarter of the country's land area is suitable for wind power production, which would generate more than enough electricity to power the entire country.
Researchers at the Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, led by Charles Meneveau, have been studying the interactions between wind turbines and the surrounding air and their subsequent effects on turbine efficiency and local weather.
Using a wind tunnel, Meneveau simulates actual wind conditions on a small scale, with currents passing through arrays of model airplane propellers. A smoke-like material is then mixed with the air so the movement of the wind can be observed.
A laser generates pulses of light in quick succession, and a camera records the position of the particles during each flash. In this way, Meneveau can generate velocity vector diagrams that allow for highly detailed calculations of the energy carried by wind - the same energy harvested by power plants.
Based on such calculations, wind power can be implemented with greater efficiency, since the positioning of the turbines can be adjusted to obtain the maximum energy input.
Furthermore, Meneveau's research has demonstrated that clusters of wind turbines have the potential to affect local weather patterns, including humidity and temperature. This is an important issue if wind power becomes more widely used.
These findings have the potential to make wind power one of the most environmentally friendly and affordable sources of energy, curbing carbon emissions and making our planet a little greener.
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