United Kingdom

1. What provides some of the most favourable conditions in the world for the utilization of tidal power?

2. Why is future exploitation of the UK's tidal energy potential unlikely?

The unusually high tidal range along the west coasts of England and Wales provides some of the most favourable conditions in the world

Unit 7. Tidal Energy

for the utilization of tidal power. If all reasonably exploitable estuaries were utilized, annual generation of electricity from tidal power plants would be some 50 TWh, equivalent to about 15% of current UK elec­tricity consumption.

Feasibility studies have been completed for two large schemes: Sev­ern estuary (8600 MW) and Mersey estuary (700 MW), and for small­er schemes on the estuaries of the Duddon (100 MW), Wyre (64 MW), Conwy (33 MW) and Loughor (5 MW). Given the combination of high capital costs, lengthy construction period and relatively low load fac­tor, none of these schemes is regarded' as financially attractive² in present circumstances. Future exploitation of the UK's tidal energy potential is unlikely unless there is a substantial increase in the cost of electricity generation from fossil fuels.

1 - рассматривается; 2 - привлекательный

• Complete the following sentences using the information from the texts.

1. Australia's best tidal energy resources are located (in the north­east, in the north-west, in the south-east).

2. The 20 MW Annapolis Tidal Power Project is located at Annap­olis Royal (on the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia), where the tidal range is (between 4.4 and 8.7metres, between 4.8 and 7.8metres, between 3.4 and 7.4 metres).

3. The Kislogubsk pilot tidal plant (400 kW) was commissioned in 1968 near Murmansk (on the Black Sea, on the Barents Sea, on the Laptev Sea).

4. The unusually high tidal range along the west coasts of England and Wales provides some of the most favourable conditions in the world for the utilization of (thermal power, nuclear power, tid­al power).

* Open a round table discussion on tidal power in our country and abroad using the following questions:

What do you think of...? Do you agree that...?

What is your opinion of...? Is it really so? Do you think that...?

Section I. Power Engineering

JUST FOR FUN

• Read and smile. Tell your friend.

Quotes from 11 plus Exams

1. "The tides are a fight between the Earth and Moon. All water tencte towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors' a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight."

2. Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water.

1 — ненавидит

Unit8

_{WIND ENERGY}

PARTI

• Read the text below and pay attention to the Figures.

Potential in the United States

Estimates of the electricity that could potentially be generated by wind power and of the land area available for wind energy have been calculat­ed for the United States. The potential electric power from wind energy is surprisingly large. Good wind areas, which cover 6% of the U.S. land area, have the potential to supply more than one and a half times the current electricity consumption of the United States. Technology under development today will be capable of producing electricity eco­nomically from good wind sites in many regions of the country.

A wind energy resource atlas of the United States shows that areas po­tentially suitable for wind energy applications are dispersed through­out much of the United States [http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/at-las]. Estimates of the wind resource in this atlas are expressed in wind power classes ranging from class 1 to class 7, with each class represent­ing a range of mean wind power density or equivalent mean speed at specified heights above the ground. Areas designated class 4 or greater are suitable with advanced wind turbine technology under develop­ment today. Power class 3 areas may be suitable for future generation technology. Class 2 areas are marginal and class 1 areas unsuitable for ^wind energy development. Maps of the area (percentage of land area) distribution of the wind resource digitized in grid cells of 1/4 latitude ^DV 1/3 longitude (Fig. 5 and 6, 7) show that exposed areas with mod-^erate to high wind resource are dispersed throughout much of ^tfte United States.

Several factors determine the amount of land area suitable for wind energy development within a particular grid cell in a region of high

58 Section I. Power Engineering

Unit 8. Wind Energy 59

f~| 1 <200 <5.6

2 200-300 5.6-6.4

Щ 3 300-400 6.4-7.0

— 4 400-500 7.0-7.5

5 500-600 7.5-8.0

Щ 6 600-800 8.0-8.8 L_J 7 >800 >8.8

Fig. 5.

U.S. Annual Wind Power Resource

wind energy potential. The important factors include the percentage! of land exposed to the wind resource and land-use and environmental restrictions. The land area exposed to the wind for each grid cell was estimated based on a landform classification and ranged from 90% for relatively flat terrain down to 5% for mountainous terrain. Estimates of land area excluded from wind energy development, in percent per; grid cell, were made for various types of land-use (e. g., forest, agricul­tural, range, and urban lands). Environmental exclusion areas were defined as federal and state lands (including parks, monuments, wil­derness areas, wildlife refuges, and other protected areas) where wind j energy development would be prohibited or severely restricted.

The wind electric potential per grid cell was calculated from] the available windy land area and the wind power classification assigned to each cell. The amount of potential electricity that can be generated is dependent on several factors, including the spacing between wind j

Speed (m/s)

Power Class

Wind Power (W/m²)

<5.6 5.6-6.4 6.4-7.0

7.0-7.5

7.5-8.0

8.0-8.8

>8.8

"?b

<200 200-300 300-400 400-500 500-600 600-800

>800

Fig. 6.

Alaska and Hawaii Annual Wind Power Resource

turbines, the assumed efficiency of the machines, the turbine hub height, and the estimated energy losses (caused by wind turbine wakes, blade soiling, etc.). The assumptions used for calculating the wind en­ergy potential per unit of windy land area is given in Fig. 7. Estimates of wind turbine efficiency and power losses are based on data from existing turbines. For advanced turbines, efficiency is projected to be 30%-35% and power losses 10%-15%.

The considerable wind electric potential has not been tapped before because wind turbine technology was not able to utilize this resource. However, during the past decade, increased knowledge of wind tur­bine behavior has led to more cost-effective wind turbines that are more efficient in producing electricity.

The price of the electricity produced from wind by these advanced turbines is estimated to be competitive with conventional sources of Power, including fossil fuels. Because of the increasing competitive­ness of wind energy, wind resource assessment will become essential in ^lricorporating wind energy into the nation's energy mix. The impor-

60

Section I. Power Engineering

Unit 8. Wind Energy

61

Fig. 7.

Percent U. S. Land Area with Wind Resource

Class 3 or Above (Annual)

tance of accurate wind resource assessment is also recognized in other parts of the world.

Detailed wind resource assessments have been proposed or are be­ing considered as part of a plan to increase the use of wind energy in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other regions. The decreasing cost of wind power and the growing interest in renewable energy sources should ensure that wind power will become a viable energy source in the United States and worldwide.

EXERCISES

\. Give the Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations from the text:

— wind areas

• current electricity con­sumption

• wind energy resource

— wind energy applications

- mean wind power density

— advanced wind turbine technology

2. To the English words in a) find Russian

a)

1. wind power

2. current electricity consump­tion

3. wind energy resource atlas

4. wind energy applications

5. mean wind power density

6. advanced wind turbine technology

7. wind power classification

8. turbine hub height

9. wind resource assessment

• future generation tech­nology

• wind energy development

• wind electric potential

• turbine hub height

• energy losses

• wind resource assessment

equivalents in b).

b)

1. применение энергии ветра

2. сегодняшнее потребление электричества

3. энергия ветра

4. оценка ресурсов энергии ветра

5. атлас энергоресурсов ветра

6. высота корпуса турбины

7. средняя плотность энергии ветра

8. передовая технология разработки ветряков

9. применения энергии ветра