What to do basically when u come here ^-^

From chia chia’s post (haha sorry chia2, i had intruded ur post, coloured the words and underlined sentences), the new research topics are there. Hence from now on we refer there whenever we research on any topic. By the way, i added the 4 topics into “Categories” where we can add our articles in accordingly on wordpress. So for e.g. Person A researches on the using of wind energy in Denmark, so before publishing it, remember to mark the category that your article is in, and in this case, person A would hence click to tick the 2) Using wind energy in Denmark catergory. this is so as to aid in easier referencing and collation  - thanks! ^-^

next, for posts like this (the no information but clarification type) you can mark this under “introduction to SIA and miscellaneous stuff; discussion”…

 in conclusion for every post we make, we need to:

1) mark the category our article is in (so try to make your post rather specific in topic so that there would not be so much overlapping info to consider when you mark your article under the categories)

2) remember to include your name and the date it was contributed (:

3) the source you obtained your information from (it would be great if full citation was done:D)

4) include the information of course plus the title.

 

yep, that should be it! gambatte minna-san! 

posted by sze yuan on 31/3/2008

The edited research topics: please refer to this for future researching (:

It seems that our “compiling criteria” needs editing. These criteria  does not encompass all we need or wish to know. Therefore here is the update:

*Remember to find definition for words that are very “cheem”, else poor group members will have a hard time reading the compiled notes. This is not too bad though, in comparison with what we have to find for physics SIA!

the categories are as below…(the underlined text are mainly what we have to find for each cat.)

 (1) What is wind energy, and how it can be harnessed for people’s uses (includes the structure of a wind turbine and what each part is used for, if information about this parts can be found.) Can include where wind energy is most abundant, the most efficient wind turbine (if any), or even quirky facts like the largest wind turbine etc. Basically, the general things about wind energy, basic facts and definitions.

 

(2) 19% of Denmark’s total energy production is energy converted from wind energy by its wind turbines. This category looks into:

a) how electricity is harnessed using wind power, i.e. the methods etc in Denmark

b) where is this 19% energy converted from wind energy used, e.g. domestically, in industries, recreational, just to increase/take over some part of Denmark’s energy production.

c) What is the most popular method used in Denmark if there are more than one methods used. Basically, facts of wind energy specific to Denmark.

(3) Examine the methods in (2) and decide if they are applicable to Singapore and if modifications are needed if Singapore were to adopt these methods. ( Includes what S’pore has to offer with relation to wind power harnessing /what Singapore has done on the topic of wind harnessing, and the resources Singapore has that allows wind power to be generated into electricity. Essential for the conclusion if Singapore can adapt the above methods from (2) as means to generate electricity in the future.) Basically, information about Singapore and wind energy, and information on a future Singapore that may use wind energy as an alternative for energy production.

(4) The pros and cons of using wind energy, and if there are more pros then cons. Remember to check if the pros and cons are true e.g. by giving statistics or facts. This one is the most straightforward. Try presenting it in a clear cut way, don’t mix the pros and cons up pls :S May even use table format if it is good **i found out that some youtubers have uploaded this wind turbine accident in Denmark. Since this is dangerous and therefore a disadvantage, we may investigate this matter further?!?! Oh, to bring it a step further and make this complicated project even more complicated, state if there are any pros or cons regarding the possible use of wind energy in Singapore. Probably overlaps with 3), but will also help to get conclusion.

 

There Happy re-researching if needed. Good luck. And who’s taking which to compile?

The Chia who was here to edit things.

posted by chia chia on 27/3/08

Denmark – Why do they use it and how?

A little something I found on the web.

“Denmark has, within the last 15 years, invested more in wind energy than any other European country. This is consistent with Denmark’s long tradition of using wind as an energy source.The main objective of investing in wind energy in 1976 was to make Denmark less dependent on imported energy supply.At present, privately owned wind turbines represent about 80% of the installed capacity. One of the main drawbacks of wind energy is that electricity can only be produced where there is wind. In Denmark this problem was avoided by connecting the private wind turbines to the national grid, allowing fluctuations to average out and so provide a constant supply. Electricity produced from wind energy is currently not only environmentally friendly but also competitive in price to conventionally generated electricity.”

And how exactly do wind turbines work? (about wind energy)

Blowing wind spins the blades on a wind turbine — just like a large toy pinwheel. This device is called a wind turbine and not a windmill. A windmill grinds or mills grain, or is used to pump water.

The blades of the turbine are attached to a hub that is mounted on a turning shaft. The shaft goes through a gear transmission box where the turning speed is increased. The transmission is attached to a high speed shaft which turns a generator that makes electricity.

If the wind gets too high, the turbine has a brake that will keep the blades from turning too fast and being damaged.

A single smaller wind turbine can be used to power a home or a school. The small turbine on makes enough energy for a house. In the picture, the children at this Iowa school are playing beneath a wind turbine that makes enough electricity to power their entire school.

In order for a wind turbine to work efficiently, wind speeds usually must be above 12 to 14 miles per hour. Wind has to be this speed to turn the turbines fast enough to generate electricity. The turbines usually produce about 50 to 300 kilowatts of electricity each. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts (kilo means 1,000). You can light ten 100 watt light bulbs with 1,000 watts. So, a 300 kilowatt (300,000 watts) wind turbine could light up 3,000 light bulbs that use 100 watts!

In Denmark, there are wind farms constructed specially for the wind turbines to do their work. Example, the Dun Law wond farm in Denmark. “Dun Law Wind Farm is located at the boundaries of the Scottish Borders, Midlothian and East Lothian. The farm consists of 26 Danish turbines mounted on 40m (131 feet)-high towers.Each three-bladed turbine, which has a diameter of 47m (154 feet), produces 660 kilo-watts (kW) of power, giving a total output of 17.16 mega-watts (MW) for the site.”

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter16.html

Posted by: Cynthia

27 Mar 2008

 

 

 

 

The first step into our project…

 

 

Area of Research: Wind Power

Wind  Power

Basic introduction to the green issue chosen…

Definition of Wind power: Kinetic energy present in wind motion that can be converted to mechanical energy for driving pumps, mills, and electric power generators.

So, what is wind power? Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. It is produced in large-scale wind farms connected to electrical grids, as well as in individual turbines for providing electricity to isolated locations. Wind energy is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions when it displaces fossil-fuel-derived electricity. In windmills, wind energy is directly used to crush grain or to pump water.  

By the end of 2006, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 73.9 gigawatts. Although wind currently produces just over 1% of worldwide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 19% of electricity production in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland (2007 data). Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006.

The intermittency of wind seldom creates insurmountable problems when using wind power to supply up to roughly 10% of total electrical demand but using of wind energy still presents challenges, drawbacks and environmental problems that are not yet fully solved when wind is to be used for a larger fraction of demand.

 

 

continued from above post

What we would like to find out about (more specific research area we would be focusing on):  

We would like to find out how Denmark, one of the leading countries within the wind energy sector uses wind power for up to 19% of its total energy production. Next, we would like to compare and see if their wind power production could be modified and applied in Singapore.  Lastly, we would like to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of using wind energy. 

This would be broken up into 4 sub-categories, which each of us would take turns to collate. For each category, everybody would research and someone would collate the articles. 

The 4 sub-categories are as follows: (tentative to changes based on later discussions)

1) How Denmark uses wind power for up to 19% of its total energy production. E.g. how electricity is harnessed using wind power, the methods etc 

2) Comparison with the methods above in 1) on whether they are applicable to Singapore after making modifications. The sub-category also INCLUDES us to >> Find out what Singapore has to offer with relation to wind power harnessing (probably what Singapore has done already for wind harnessing), and the resources Singapore have which can allow wind power to be generated into electricity. This information is essential to compare and conclude if Singapore can adapt the above methods from 1) as means to generate electricity in the future.

3) The disadvantages of using wind energy

4) The advantages of using wind energy 

Lastly, we would probably have a conclusion to the topic. And we would proceed on to design an A3 poster based on the information we gathered from the 4 sub-categories. (:

posted by sze yuan on 11/3/2008