Wind Power

Wind farm

Welcome to Wind Power: The Energy Efficiency Podcast – episode 9, the podcast that brings you a mix of energy efficiency news, products and tips all year round. We’re interested in profiling people and products involved in promoting energy efficiency habits, products and information, so please do get in touch if you have something to contribute.

But before we get on with our advertised features, this week the Guardian reported that architects and engineers are calling for a ban on glass buildings. Glass buildings become extremely hot in the sun and use lots of energy to cool down. This carbon-emitting energy requirement makes no sense in a climate emergency.

In theory using glass to let in light and create heat is a good thing, but when it’s managed properly. Solar gain is an important element of passivhaus design, where it is understood and carefully managed to prevent occupants overheating. Many corporate and commercial glass buildings are designed just for looks. In these heat can build up to unbearable levels without heavy duty air conditioning. As we looked at in our feature on passive cooling, energy used to cool buildings has doubled in the last few years. Buildings can still benefit from solar gain in winter with smaller windows. Natural ventilation can make a huge difference but this can be the short straw in a polluted and noisy area.

Some steps are being taken. Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio has banned excessive use of glass and steel. This is a bit of a climbdown from the ban he spoke of originally. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, has ruled out a ban. This is surprising given how forward-looking the London Plans have been on the benefits of green technologies (we looked at this last week in the green roofs feature). The new London Plan, coming into force next spring, requires an assessment to be made of a building’s lifetime energy use. It’s hard to see how a standard glass building would come out well of this assessment.

In the Guardian article Martin Fahey, head of sustainability at Mitsubishi Electric, referred to the importance of keeping air conditioning equipment in good working order. Maintenance of equipment has come up repeatedly in keeping energy efficiency at optimum. Fahey hopes that commercial customers will want to do the right thing if only for the sake of their image.

The Edge, Amsterdam

Some hi-tech glass can become opaque in hot weather. Others can generate electricity, such Deloitte’s Edge building in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district. It uses intelligent design to cut its energy requirement by 70% on a similar building. On three sides it has smaller, opening windows, and one face is glass. It’s been awarded the world’s highest BREEAM rating (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) This isn’t a magic bullet however as the specialist glass is nigh on impossible to recycle.

 

WIND POWER

It’s a rainy day today and demand on the grid is higher than I’ve seen it for a while. We’re using no coal or oil. Natural gas is providing almost half our power, via CCGT. Renewables are providing about 27% of our power and wind is contributing 10% of that. What is wind power?

As the NES website says, wind power ain’t new. It’s been pushing boats along and powering windmills for thousands of years. It’s magic, actually. Well, no it’s not but as the wind turns the blades which turn a shaft, a generator converts that kinetic energy into electrical energy. That’s where the magic happens. The electricity is then converted into the right voltage for the local network and exported to the grid. A gentle breeze is enough to turn the blades, but faster winds generate more electricity. If it gets too windy wind turbines will shut down to avoid suffering damage. From an individual wind turbine on a house to giant wind farms out at sea, the mechanics are the same. One standard on