Electrical Power Systems Technology

Alternative Power Systems 125

erating plants could be possible when located in very windy places. These

plants would probably be limited in their power output, due to the re-

quirement for large storage batteries. Because of the varying wind speeds,

it would be difficult to connect two or more units in parallel and keep

them in a phase relationship. Compared with other inexpensive types of

power production plants, such as solar or hydroelectric, wind systems are

smaller in physical size per kilowatt output and have a lower initial cost.

Also, a solar power plant can only produce power during the daylight

hours, while a wind-generator will operate whenever there is a wind.

The primary disadvantage of a windmill is obvious. What do you do

on days without wind? One answer is the use of storage batteries. Another

disadvantage is the fact that windmills generally have a very low efficien-

cy—about 50 percent. Although windmill power will probably never be a

large contributor to the solving of any power crisis, some individuals have

Figure 5-4. A simplified wind power system