Can wind energy deliver a stable power supply?
Clean energy will keep America’s aging electric grid—the system of wires, electricity generators, and operators that delivers electricity—reliable through rising power demand and extreme weather events.
Maintaining a functioning power system is crucial to saving lives and powering the economy – both under normal circumstances and in the event of extreme weather, natural disasters, or other unforeseen events. A reliable electric grid is essential for America’s economy and energy security. Wind turbine energy can be reliably integrated into the transmission system, causing no disruption to the grid and providing customers with a clean source of power.
A large power plant can shut down abruptly at any time, forcing operators to keep large quantities of fast-acting, expensive reserves ready 24/7. Wind changes tend to be gradual and predictable, making them far less costly to accommodate using less expensive, slower-acting reserves. When wind turbines are spread over large areas, their output becomes far more constant and even easier to accommodate. Additionally, modern wind plants can provide the same grid reliability services as conventional power plants, in many cases better than conventional plants, by using their sophisticated controls and power electronics.
Delivering reliability & a stable power supply
Maintaining a functioning power system is crucial to saving lives and powering the economy – both under normal circumstances and in the event of extreme weather, natural disasters, or other unforeseen events. A reliable electric grid is essential for America’s economy and energy security. Wind turbine energy can be reliably integrated into the transmission system, causing no disruption to the grid and providing customers with a clean source of power.
A large power plant can shut down abruptly at any time, forcing operators to keep large quantities of fast-acting, expensive reserves ready 24/7. Wind changes tend to be gradual and predictable, making them far less costly to accommodate using less expensive, slower-acting reserves. When wind turbines are spread over large areas, their output becomes far more constant and even easier to accommodate. Additionally, modern wind plants can provide the same grid reliability services as conventional power plants, in many cases better than conventional plants, by using their sophisticated controls and power electronics.
Integrating wind power with the grid
Clean energy sources improve grid reliability. During times of both average and peak electricity demand, clean energy plays an increasingly important role in stabilizing the grid.
How wind energy works
Wind energy is generated by converting wind into electricity using wind turbines. The electricity generated from wind power can vary at different times, such as hourly, daily or seasonally.
Every 24 hours, wind generates enough kinetic energy to produce roughly 35 times more electricity than humanity uses each day. And unlike coal or oil, this resource is totally renewed each day.
Wind is caused naturally by an uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the Earth’s surface, and the rotation of the Earth. The air moves because it has different temperatures, and cold air is heavier than hot air.
In order to know the range of speeds and the direction of the wind in a certain area, Vestas takes millions of observations of the atmosphere every day across the world, this helps us decide the precise location of our wind turbines.