Harnessing wind data to help meet energy needs in Florida

Date:
July 30, 2020
Source:
Florida State University
Summary:
A new study shows how upcoming technological advances could make
wind energy a hot commodity in the Sunshine State.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Florida is one of several states in the Southeast where wind energy is virtually nonexistent, which is one reason wind farms have not been an economically viable energy source in the region. But a new study from
the FAMU- FSU College of Engineering shows how upcoming technological
advances could make wind energy a hot commodity in the Sunshine State.


==========================================================================
Sean Martin, a researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from Florida State University, is working with an
interdisciplinary team of scientists to examine wind resource
characteristics at nine different locations in Florida. Their analysis
will help the wind industry and policymakers know how viable wind energy production using developing technologies could be.

Sean Martin, a researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Their work was published in the journal Applied Energy.

"With advances in turbine technology, taller towers, larger rotor diameter
and new control systems, we will be able to provide low-cost wind power to low-wind regions, such as Florida and the Southeast," Martin said. "The increased hub heights and taller turbines can take advantage of greater
wind speeds that occur higher up to harvest more wind power." Compared to states like Texas or Iowa, the wind in Florida is not something wind farms
can profitably capture at the moment. Wind speeds are slower because of increased surface friction and turbulence caused by buildings, trees
and other obstructions. Most utility-scale turbines installed in the
United States are west of the Mississippi River, where more favorable
wind speeds, greater than 13 miles per hour, are prevalent.



==========================================================================
But using new tools that can capture wind energy at higher elevations,
where wind speeds are faster, might make wind energy feasible.

Arda Vanli, associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering So how tall are these turbines? The average
height of most existing on-shore turbines from the ground to the top of
the blades is more than 380 feet, similar to a 32-story building. The
new, taller turbines are almost twice the height at 660 feet, close to
the height of a 55-story building, and are the kind of wind turbines
that will be most useful in Florida.

Martin is collaborating with Arda Vanli, an associate professor of
industrial and manufacturing engineering, and Sungmoon Jung, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.

"I don't think anybody can predict the timing for wind energy," Jung
said. "We almost had it a few years ago. There was a private company
that proposed a wind farm in Florida, but the company withdrew the
plan because the technology at the time was not economical enough. I
hope we will see wind energy in the future as technology improves."
Sungmoon Jung, associate professor in the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering


==========================================================================
One of the things the researchers are looking at is the capacity of wind turbines to operate at different sites. Wind speed varies, so turbines
must be able to spin at different velocities. Researchers want to know
what percentage of time in a year that the turbine can operate at full capacity. In general, turbines that generate at least 30 percent of their
total capacity are more economical for utility-scale wind power. The
data will be able to predict the best areas in Florida to place the new turbines based on their ability to produce wind energy at specific sites.

"The key is finding and identifying characteristic patterns in the wind
data," Martin said. "Once we establish the patterns, the data can assist
in site selection and can improve energy estimation measures to help
industry and policymakers make decisions on where wind farms are most profitable." There are other factors the researchers must consider
when choosing a site for a wind farm. Safety for birds, noise from
rotors and the fact that some people may find wind turbines unsightly
are all considerations.

When including some of these elements with wind speed data, the scientists found that the best locations for wind farms appear to be in rural areas
of northwest, central and southern Florida.

"Site selection is an important decision, especially in low-wind power
areas," Vanli said. "Transporting huge wind turbines to these locations
is a significant investment and having good data can eventually determine whether the investment will be successful or not." Wind energy is gaining significant attention both from academia and in industry. New, affordable methods for generating renewable energy are on the horizon. Wind farms
could be viable in Florida within this decade, and turbines even taller
than the ones used for this research could be more prevalent in the
future.

"The real question is whether factors such as public perception,
acceptance and environmental factors will prevent this resource from
being developed," Martin said. "We hope the research will add additional renewables to the U.S. energy portfolio and can offset our reliance on
a single fuel source, adding energy security to meet a growing need."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Florida_State_University. Original
written by Tisha Keller. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sean Martin, Sungmoon Jung, Arda Vanli. Impact of near-future
turbine
technology on the wind power potential of low wind regions. Applied
Energy, 2020; 272: 115251 DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115251 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200730160844.htm

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