ABSTRACT
Energy is an essential ingredient of socioeconomic development and economic growth. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy can help in reducing the dependency and impact on the environment that reliance on fossil fuel has produced. Wind, an indirect form of solar energy, is always being replenished by the Sun as it is caused by the differential heating of the Earth’s surface by the Sun. It has been estimated that roughly 10 million MW of energy are continuously available in the Earth’s wind. Thus, wind energy provides a viable and environmentally friendly option. Also, at a time when national energy security is of great importance, the increased reliance on global reserves of fossil fuels threatens the long-term sustainability of the global economy. Wind power capacity has experienced tremendous growth in the past decades thanks to technological advance, to wind power’s environmental benefits, and government incentives. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of the air flow to the mechanical or electrical form. Turbine blades are the main tools in realizing this conversion. The efficiency of the conversion depends on the following: meteorological data, site topography, blade number and profiles, and tower height. This entry deals with basic principles of wind energy conversion. Focus is on wind statistics, wind turbine aerodynamics, characteristics, performances and control, and the optimization of the annual energy yield.
