How Can Microgrids Utilize Wind Power

Environmentalists are challenging traditional energy systems to minimize surface-level and atmospheric pollution. One challenge limiting residents’ and business owners’ access to clean energy is space. Renewable technologies are also expensive, which limits the expansion of independent energy systems.

Energy professionals are creating accessible renewable electricity systems using microgrid designs. Powering microgrids with distributed wind energy can minimize carbon emissions and increase the cost efficiency of renewables. Wind-powered microgrids also help regions meet their energy decarbonization goals.

Energy Decarbonization Goals

Environmental engineers are developing wind-powered microgrids to meet the United Nations’ (UN) sustainability objectives. The UN established the Paris Agreement in 2015 to target global climate change effects. The Paris Agreement calls upon government officials to lower their nations’ emissions.

Nearly 80% of the global energy supply comes from fossil fuels. Energy production is one of the top greenhouse gas emitters in the world. Professionals are targeting emissions and expanding clean energy supplies by connecting wind turbines to microgrids.

Building more microgrids also improves the sustainability of energy development. Microgrids are significantly more energy efficient compared to conventional grids. They reduce electricity transmission losses by 6% on average.

Some microgrids also use direct current (DC) power distribution practices to additionally decrease energy loss. DC systems can reduce energy loss by 30% at most. Conserving power supplies helps energy professionals optimize renewables.

How Do Wind Turbines Support Microgrids?

Wind turbines support microgrids by improving power resilience features. Regions use microgrids as backup power sources during natural disasters or as assistive power supplies. Turbine-connected grids use wind power to charge ground-level lithium-ion batteries.

Large-scale batteries can minimize intermittent production limitations. Most communities use advanced DC-bus hybrid systems to connect multiple turbines to one grid. Expanding clean energy supplies with DC microgrid technologies can optimize clean energy production.

Wind turbines also support microgrids by distributing clean power during outages. Researchers calculated that the United States’ economy loses about $150 billion each year from power outages. Individuals can improve the resilience of microgrids to reduce outages using wind turbines.

Tropical storms and hurricanes increase wind speeds, which adversely impacts conventional electricity distribution. However, they also improve turbines’ wind power production rates. Connecting turbines to microgrids significantly increases electricity supplies during outages.

Leading Wind-Powered Microgrid Companies

Two companies are leading the wind-power microgrid sector. CleanSpark is a software diversification and sustainable Bitcoin mining company. The company developed technological wind distribution advancements to improve microgrid efficiencies.

CleanSpark’s mPulse technology offers grid developers IT solutions to energy flow deficiencies. Improving energy distribution can significantly enhance a microgrid’s energy efficiency. The company is also working with FlowGen to revolutionize clean energy grids in North and South America.

FlowGen is a turbine manufacturing company in Switzerland. The company creates high-tech turbines, which efficiently rotate in low or high wind speeds. Improving power distribution and clean energy production can enhance the future of wind-powered microgrids.

Distributed Wind Supporting the Agricultural Industry

Rural communities can significantly benefit from turbine-connected microgrids. Residents in rural communities have minimal access to diverse energy sources. At the same time, their smaller populations decrease local electricity demands. Low electricity demands call for lower power production rates.

Agricultural professionals struggle significantly from minimal electricity diversity and distribution practices. Farmers rely on electricity to power their electrical field equipment, lights, water pumps, and other appliances.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of storms and putting farmers at risk of power outages. Farmers also financially struggle from rural power monopolies charging high utility costs. Agricultural professionals can improve their access to cost-effective electricity supplies by developing turbine-powered microgrids.

Farms have high distributed wind potential because of their open field space. Individuals can install turbines on farms to sell excess electricity to local microgrids and create a passive form of income. Farmers can support their rural communities by harvesting wind energy and powering microgrids.

Advanced Wind Distribution Technology

Environmental engineers are improving wind power technologies to support clean microgrids. Some individuals resist installing turbines and building microgrids because of their land requirements. Modern turbines are large and require expansive, open land to achieve high efficiency levels.

Engineers at Skypull in Switzerland are developing wind-power-production devices using drones. The drones connect to ground-level generators using small cables. Drone renewable energy devices reduce producers’ reliance on land.

They also produce wind power at lower costs than conventional turbines. Diversifying wind energy production with drones could increase microgrid power supplies. Another renewable energy advancement supporting microgrids is bladeless turbines.

Some energy producers are resistant to purchasing turbines because of their biodiversity interference and the blades’ limited ability to be recycled. Bladeless turbines minimize bird and bat mortalities by eliminating the components they collide with the most. They also minimize municipal solid waste (MSW).

Offshore Wind-Powered Microgrids

Energy professionals are also expanding microgrids’ electricity supplies using offshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms limit environmental disruptions and land-usage requirements. Environmental engineers are also building floating wind farms to increase global renewable energy production.

Professionals working on the Hywind Tampen floating turbine project use distributed wind energy to power microgrids. The project creates 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity for a grid in the United Kingdom. Diversifying wind power production with offshore farms may help microgrids access enough electricity to support small communities sustainably.

Benefits of Diversifying Power Sources

Engineers are expanding wind-powered microgrids to benefit the environment, the economy, and consumers. One of the most significant advantages of reducing emissions is preventing adverse ecological effects. Wind power decreases society’s reliance on fossil fuels, which deplete Earth of its natural resources and pollute the global ecosystem.

Diversifying microgrids’ energy sources with wind power also improves their reliability. One advantage of adding wind energy to microgrids is reducing power limitations. Some producers rely on solar panels to power microgrids, but their energy distribution is inconsistent.

Wind turbines have up to 40% energy efficiency rates. They can help microgrids deliver power to customers when panel efficiencies drop. Diversifying microgrids’ power supplies can improve the efficiency and resilience of grids.

When Will Microgrids Decarbonize the Electricity Sector?

Countries are developing energy-emission regulations to meet the Paris Agreement’s sustainability goal. In the U.S., the Biden-Harris Administration established plans to expand wind-power production and decarbonize America’s energy sector. Microgrids can help the country achieve its emission goals.

Government officials are exploring microgrids’ potential as backup energy supplies in outage-susceptible areas. They also may install microgrids in prolific renewable energy production regions to efficiently distribute clean power. Many countries are funding clean energy projects and may expand microgrids to reach their sustainability goals