I. Principle of Wind Power Generation
The principle of wind power generation is to use wind power to drive the windmill blades to rotate, and then use a speed increaser to increase the rotation speed, thereby causing the generator to generate electricity. According to windmill technology, a breeze speed of about three meters per second (a very light breeze) is sufficient to start generating electricity.
Wind power is becoming a global trend because it has no fuel issues and does not produce radiation or air pollution.
Wind power generation is popular in countries like Finland and Denmark; my country's wind power industry has also seen rapid development in recent years. Small wind power systems are highly efficient, but they are not simply composed of a single generator head; rather, they are small systems with a certain level of technological sophistication: a wind turbine + charger + digital inverter. A wind turbine consists of a turbine head, rotor, tail fin, and blades. Each part is important, and their functions are as follows: the blades receive wind power and convert it into electrical energy through the turbine head; the tail fin ensures the blades are always facing the wind direction to maximize wind energy; the rotor allows the turbine head to rotate flexibly, enabling the tail fin to adjust its direction; the rotor of the turbine head is a permanent magnet, and the stator windings cut magnetic lines of force to generate electricity.
Because wind power is unstable, wind turbines output alternating current ranging from 13 to 25V. This current must be rectified by a charger before being used to charge the battery, converting the electrical energy generated by the wind turbine into chemical energy. Then, an inverter with protective circuitry converts the chemical energy in the battery into 220V AC mains power to ensure stable operation.
Mechanical connection and power transmission: The blades of a horizontal axis wind turbine are connected to a universal flexible coupling via a gearbox and its high-speed shaft, transmitting torque to the generator's drive shaft. This coupling should have excellent damping and vibration absorption characteristics, absorbing appropriate radial, axial, and angular misalignments, and preventing overload of the mechanical device. Another type is the direct-drive wind turbine, where the blades are directly connected to the motor without a gearbox.
II. Prospects for Wind Power Generation
Wind power reserves are enormous, with global wind energy estimated at 2.74 × 10⁹ MW, of which 2 × 10⁷ MW are usable, exceeding the total exploitable hydropower on Earth by 10 times. China has vast wind energy reserves, widely distributed, with onshore wind energy reserves alone estimated at 253 million kilowatts.
With the development of the global economy, the wind energy market has also grown rapidly. Since 2004, global wind power capacity has doubled, and between 2006 and 2007, global installed wind power capacity expanded by 27%. In 2007, it reached 90,000 megawatts, and this figure was projected to reach 160,000 megawatts by 2010. It is estimated that the global wind energy market will grow by 25% annually over the next 20-25 years. With technological advancements and the development of environmental protection initiatives, wind power generation will be fully competitive with coal-fired power generation commercially.
In February 2024, a research report showed that wind power in the European Union surpassed natural gas for the first time and was able to meet all of France's electricity needs.
China's new energy strategy has begun to prioritize the development of wind power. According to national plans, the installed capacity of wind power nationwide will reach 20 to 30 million kilowatts over the next 15 years. Based on an equipment investment of 7,000 yuan per kilowatt of installed capacity, the wind power equipment market is projected to reach 140 billion to 210 billion yuan, according to Wind Energy World magazine.
The development prospects of China's wind power and other new energy power generation industries are very broad, and it is expected to maintain rapid growth for a long time to come. At the same time, profitability will steadily improve as the technology matures. After 2009, the industry's total profits will maintain rapid growth, with a growth rate exceeding 60%.
The development of wind power is giving it a competitive advantage over coal and hydropower in terms of cost-effectiveness. The advantage of wind power lies in the fact that for every doubling of capacity, the cost decreases by 15%, and global wind power growth has consistently remained above 30% in recent years. With the localization of wind power installations and the scaling up of power generation in China, the cost of wind power is expected to decrease further. Therefore, wind power is becoming an increasingly attractive investment opportunity for investors.
It is understood that, due to the abundant wind energy resources in Tuoli County, and with the country's increasing support for the development of clean energy, a number of large-scale wind power projects have been launched in Tuoli County, accelerating the construction of the wind power base.
