What is Offshore Wind Power?

What is Wind Power?

The principle of wind power generation is to use the wind force to drive the three blades of the generator to rotate, and flexibly convert the wind energy into electrical energy through the nose. Regardless of whether it is an onshore or offshore wind farm, it consists of many individual wind turbines, each of which is connected to the power transmission network and finally reaches the user.

The wind is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Winds arise because the sun heats the Earth's surface unevenly, so whenever hot air rises, cold air fills in, so whenever the sun is shining, the wind blows. The wind has been the source of power for humans long before electricity became widespread. Ancient sailors would spread their large sails to catch the wind. Traditional farmers would run windmills to crush grain and pump water. In modern times, there are more and more tall and straight wind turbines standing on vast plains and in vast oceans, operating with the rhythm of the wind and releasing energy.

The Evolution of Wind Power?

The wind is often described as highly individual, fickle, and unruly. In practical application, wind energy is 100% clean and renewable energy, which is very friendly to the environment and will not generate air or water pollution. Although wind energy itself is an intermittent energy source, accurate weather forecasts can prepare production capacity and power grids for predictable changes in advance.

Thanks to large-scale production and technological progress, which has driven down material and construction costs, wind energy production has continued to rise. In addition, the wind itself is free, and the operating cost of wind turbines is almost zero. Under the trend of many governments encouraging the development of wind energy through tax incentives, the annual growth rate of the number of wind power generators in the world has reached more than 25% in the past ten years. More than 80 countries in the world use wind energy to power their grids. Global wind power generation increased by 17% last year, surpassing nuclear power generation for the first time.

Offshore Wind Power Technology:

Offshore wind power, also known as offshore wind energy, refers to the construction of wind power plants on the sea, usually located on the continental shelf, and uses wind energy to generate electricity. Offshore wind resources are more abundant than those on land, and the wind direction is relatively stable so that offshore wind power can provide more power than onshore wind power in the same period, and the facilities are far away from people's residences. The rebound is smaller.

Offshore wind power is a type of wind power generation. Its operating principle is similar to that of general wind power generation. The motor inside the wind turbine rotates, and the power is collected and transmitted to the power consumption site. The basic wind power generation is to erect the wind turbine on land, which is called onshore wind power, while offshore wind power is to erect the wind turbine on the sea. Generally speaking, the construction of offshore wind farms is much more difficult than onshore wind farms. However, offshore wind farms have higher power generation and abundant space resources, and can also reduce the impact on nearby residents' advantage.

Because it is completely carried out at sea, the erection of offshore wind farms is quite difficult. Not only does it need to rely on specialized ships for assembly, but the manipulation of ship equipment also requires specialized technology. If we only look at offshore wind turbines, the structure of offshore wind turbines is divided into an engine room, wheel shaft, blades, tower, platform, and underwater support infrastructure. When building, it is necessary to fix the installation ship on the sea, and then install the wind turbine. The submerged structure is drilled deep into the seabed before the upper half of the installation process. According to data, the length of a single blade of an offshore wind turbine is longer than the wingspan of an A380 jet. The huge blades are assembled by offshore cranes, and subsequent adjustments require the assistance of technical personnel.

Although wind power has reduced the environmental pollution caused by non-renewable energy sources, the erection of offshore wind power has also caused great harm to the ocean, bird ecology, and fisheries. The erection and maintenance costs of wind turbines are controversial. Natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes may affect the operation of wind turbines.

What Stories are Related to Wind Power?

• Humans have used the power of wind for more than 4,000 years. Windmills were built in the past to crush rice or fetch water. Now it is used to generate electricity to create more and more useful value.
• Modern large-scale wind turbines are not simple. They include sub-systems such as the blade system, transmission system, power system, and control system. Only after integration and matching can stable and efficient power generation be achieved. The total number of internal components exceeds 8,000.
• The capacity of wind power generation installations in the world has exceeded 432GW, including more than 30,000 wind turbines, which partially replace thermal power plants and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• Wind power technology is relatively mature and has become a stable source of electricity in many countries. Through the power grid interconnection function in Europe, it is also possible to communicate with each other and conduct wind power trading. Denmark mainly relies on wind power generation, and 40% of the extra power can be sold to neighboring Germany, Sweden, and Norway.
• Taiwan is rich in wind resources. It is one of the best wind farms in the world. The higher the average wind speed, the greater the overall power generation. It is conservatively estimated that about 30GW of offshore wind energy can be developed, which is equivalent to 23 nuclear power plants (1.26GW). If it can be replaced, it will not only reduce a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions but also eliminate the risk of using nuclear energy and the storage of nuclear waste. How much wind power has Taiwan installed? There are currently more than 320 large-scale wind turbines with a total generating capacity of more than 640MW, but this is less than 1% of the national power generation. It is currently planned to reach the goal of more than 1,000 wind turbines with a capacity of 5.2 GW in 2030. The government and manufacturers are actively promoting the development, and it is expected to see a vigorous development of Taiwan's wind power industry in the next ten years.
• Wind power is not an expensive renewable energy source! In 2009, the average kilowatt-hour of wind power on land was closer to NT$1.5, which was already very close to the current cost of thermal power generation. If the carbon reduction benefits of wind power generation are taken into consideration, it is more competitive than thermal power generation.
• Wind power generation is unstable and uncontrollable. In Taiwan, when there is no wind in summer, no matter how tall or big it is, there is no way to rotate it to generate electricity. Under the strong wind brought by the northeast monsoon, the electricity demand in winter is relatively small at this time, but it provides a lot of power generation. The natural wind is not something we can control, it is a fatal issue of wind power generation.
• Is the windier the better? Too much wind will not work. When the wind is strong, the power should not be underestimated, as trying to generate electricity may cause equipment damage. Therefore, when the wind is strong or a typhoon, the speed usually exceeds 25 meters per second, and the large fan does not rotate, which may cause the collapse of the wind turbine.
• Will wind power affect people's health? Wind turbine syndrome refers to the excessive noise generated by the wind turbine during operation, the low-frequency noise implied in the continuous rotation, the sound of wind cutting, or the continuously rotating shadow due to the sun, which more or less affects the nearby residents.