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Professor Coimbra and Jan P. Kleissl have come up with a weather forecasting machine that they claim it is more effective than the ones that are commonly being used now. Power grid experts believe that the accurate forecast of the machine would encourage companies to use wind power more judiciously. It could also be instrumental in greatly saving the cost of energy. The machine takes photographs of five square miles of the sky every half a minute and can forecast about the weather conditions for the next three to twenty minutes.

The forecasting engine has generated much interest among the wind and solar power grid operators who believe that this would give leverage to use renewable energy sources more profitably. The ability to know about the availability of wind beforehand can help to utilize it, and the industry will be able to plan its utility in advance. Moreover, the assurance of its availability can encourage them to rely more on the renewable energy source like the wind. The homeowners can turn on their electrical appliances like the air conditioners in time. This, in turn, will surely decrease the dependence on the back-up power plants.

At present, it is not possible to gauge accurately the velocity and duration of the wind that would be available through the traditional forecasting devices. Wind firms have to store the surplus energy through back-up batteries at high costs and use it when the need arises. Similarly the grid operators also have to purchase power, sometimes at exorbitant costs. The exact weather forecast would enable them to buy power when the price is less.

Sudden changes of wind conditions described as ‘ramp events’ also affect the plant. It can cause damage to the equipment. Back-up batteries may drain out quickly, which shortens their longevity. Proper forecasting of it will enable to ensure safety measures for it.

Generating electricity through the use of turbines has been done for centuries. With the availability of modern technologies, electricity is being produced in mass scale for industrial as well domestic use.

Wind turbines have rotor blades that rotate around a hub. The hub is attached to a generator in the nacelle. As the wind rotates the blades, the shafts spins and electricity is produced from the mechanical energy thus generated with the help of the generator. The electricity is then connected to the transmission lines and grids.

The turbines can either be horizontal axis turbines or vertical axis turbines depending upon how they are oriented. Horizontal axis turbines are more popular. While most small scale turbines have the magnet generators, wound-field alternators are used in the earlier models. The induction motors are also used to generate electricity.

The type of towers can be different. There are free standing towers, till-up towers and fixed-guyed towers. Free standing towers are the most expensive.

Apart from the generators and towers, transmission lines, batteries and other electrical controls are also necessary to set up in order to harness wind power.

The U.S., China, Spain and India are the leading countries where wind power is being used. Denmark and China are among the top manufacturers of wind turbines. Of late, China is making rapid strides in this market.

With a share of 12.9 percent of global market, Vestas (VWS.CO) has been the leading manufacturer of wind power. It is followed by Xinjiang Goldwind Science (HKG 2208), popularly known as Goldwind of China which has 9.4 percent of share.

As per estimates, the wind power sector has resulted in supplying 71.7 gigawatts in the year of 2011. An annual growth rate of 10 percent in this sector is expected till the year of 2016.

The product of the Windation company is the following:

Model (Patent Pending)	Dimensions	Weight
TWM-50005000W power rating	9′ x 9′ x 10′ tall	2,200 Lbs.

 

With the dwindling of fossil fuel resources and its harmful effects on the environment coming into the limelight, the use of wind energy has gone up. At present, wind energy is being generated in countries like the USA, China, Spain, Denmark, India and Germany.

Wind, undoubtedly, has great advantages over other forms of conventional energy sources.

Lessens the dependence upon fossil fuel – The increasing use of wind energy can lessen the burden on fossil fuel, thereby, keeping the world away from global warming and other pollutants produced due to the use of bio-fuel.

Renewable energy source – Wind energy is part of nature and will never dwindle away. Its production is linked to the process of nuclear fusion. So, unlike the case of fossil fuels, one can safely assume that it will continue to be available as long as the sun is there.

Pollution free – Wind energy is clean and doesn’t emit any toxic emission and it produces no danger to animals, which is not the case with fossil fuels, and nuclear energy.

Great future – According to some estimates, the cumulative potential of wind energy in the world is around 3600 TW. This is staggering amount of energy source.

Available everywhere ‑ Although the intensity of wind may vary from place to place, wind energy can be generated at most places. And if you consider the fact that the turbines can be installed off-shore as well, it provides a lot of potential.

Cost-effectiveness – With the availability of better technologies, the cost of harnessing wind energy is significantly going down. In fact, it is estimated that there has been a reduction by almost 60 percent since the 1980’s.

Due to these advantages of wind energy, Windation, the company based in Silicon Valley, has come up with the state of the art technologies to harness it through the installation of turbines of various sizes. The company specializes in urban-building electric system.

Windation manufactures, installs and warranties the highest quality wind electricity generating systems available today.

Windation Energy Systems is formed by a group of leading senior engineers and finance experts in Silicon Valley who are passionate about wind power and distributed electricity generation.

Windation Wind-catch™ patent pending technology enables urban-building electric systems to generate substantial amounts of clean power, which is more than of any other clean electricity system.

Buildings cumulatively are the biggest users of electricity thus they are the largest generator of Green house gas (GHG).

Distributed generation and wind turbine electric systems reduce the burden on the electrical grids while reducing the dependency on polluting fuels.

Wind energy has great benefits over other forms of commercial energy. Wind turbines look imposing, but in fact they take a small area. They are available in different sizes and can be installed as per the energy requirements. Above all, they are most useful in remote areas.

The company strives to establish that wind power is available in a cost-effective way.

The company has successfully developed its unique wind turbines on the rooftops in urban areas to use wind resources in a safe manner. Looking like a commercial AC unit, it only needs seventy square feet space on the rooftop to place the small turbine which weighs only 2,200 lb. The machine can generate 5 kilowatts of power per year. When good source of wind is available, it would be suffice to maintain an office space of one thousand square feet. It does not produce much noise or vibration and it has no exposed parts. Hence, it poses no threat to the birds.

The design of these generators is inspired by the ancient wind catcher buildings in Persia that were designed to suck in air from the top. The Windation machines also draw air from the top and manipulate its movements to generate power. With the available incentives and rebates, it is estimated that the initial expenditure of $45,000 can be recovered in five to seven years.