Chalet Magnificat

$57.98

Winds of Change examines the global development of the wind energy industry from a political, social movements-based perspective. It argues the wind energy industry developed successfully in certain regions and countries in large part because the environmental movement influenced its growth. Vasi then defines and analyses the three main pathways through which the environmental movement has contributed to industry growth: it has influenced the adoption and implementation of renewable energy policies, it has created consumer demand for clean energy, and it has changed the institutional logics of the energy sector. The book uses quantitative analysis to present the big picture of the global development of the wind energy industry, then draws on qualitative analyses to understand why countries such as Germany, Denmark, or Spain are world leaders in wind energy, while other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada have a somewhat underdeveloped wind power industry. It also analyzes how the environmental movement contributed to the recent growth of the market for renewable energy certificates in the United States. The book also examines the remarkable transformation of the electricity sector in different countries, showing how environmentalists in Germany, Denmark, United States and United Kingdom contributed to wind turbine manufacturing by becoming entrepreneurs, innovators, and/or advocates, and, furthermore, how environmental groups and activists formed new companies that specialize in wind-farm development and operation, and pressured utility companies to invest in renewable energy by using tactics such as protests, lawsuits, and lobbying for stricter regulation. In conclusion, Vasi presents the main implications for future studies on industry development and social movement outcomes, as well as for the future growth of the renewable energy sector.

$170

As environmental concerns have focused attention on the generation of electricity from clean and renewable sources wind energy has become the world’s fastest growing energy source. The Wind Energy Handbook draws on the authors’ collective industrial and academic experience to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of wind energy research and provide a comprehensive treatment of wind energy for electricity generation. Features include: An authoritative overview of wind turbine technology and wind farm design and development In-depth examination of the aerodynamics and performance of land-based horizontal axis wind turbines A survey of alternative machine architectures and an introduction to the design of the key components Description of the wind resource in terms of wind speed frequency distribution and the structure of turbulence Coverage of site wind speed prediction techniques Discussions of wind farm siting constraints and the assessment of environmental impact The integration of wind farms into the electrical power system, including power quality and system stability Functions of wind turbine controllers and design and analysis techniques With coverage ranging from practical concerns about component design to the economic importance of sustainable power sources, the Wind Energy Handbook will be an asset to engineers, turbine designers, wind energy consultants and graduate engineering students.

$38.48

This compelling saga recounts the human effort to capture the power of the wind for electricity–from the first European windmills, to nineteenth-century experiments in rural electrification, to the immense wind farms in California and the plains states that feed the power grid today. Environmental historian Robert W. Righter describes eccentric inventors and technical innovations, analyzes the politics of the power industry, past and present, and demonstrates that individuals and small businesses have made the greatest contributions to wind-energy development. Righter includes contemporary developments, including U.S. government research and regulation and the international race for dominance in the wind-turbine business.

$42.48

Since early recorded history, people have been harnessing the energy of the wind. In the United States in the late 19th century, settlers began using windmills to pump water for farms and ranches, and later, to generate electricity for homes and industry. Industrialism led to a gradual decline in the use of windmills. The steam engine replaced European water-pumping windmills, and in the 1930s, the Rural Electrification Administration’s programs brought inexpensive electric power to most rural areas in the US. However, industrialization also sparked the development of larger windmills, wind turbines, to generate electricity. After experiencing strong growth in the mid-1980s, the U.S. wind industry hit a plateau during the electricity restructuring period in the 1990s and then regained momentum in 1999. Industry growth has since responded positively to policy incentives. Although wind power currently provides only about 1% of U.S. electricity needs, it is growing more rapidly than any other energy source. Wind power has negligible fuel costs, but high capital costs. The estimated average cost per unit incorporates the cost of construction of the turbine and transmission facilities, borrowed funds, return to investors (including cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components, averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be in excess of twenty years. Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups: the horizontal-axis variety and the vertical-axis design. Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger turbines are grouped together into wind farms which provide bulk power to the electrical grid. Single small turbines (below 100 kilowatts) are used for homes, telecommunications dishes, or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaic systems. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations where a connection to the utility grid is not available. A key challenge for wind energy is that electricity production depends on when winds blow rather than when consumers need power. Wind’s variability can create added expenses and complexity in balancing supply and demand on the grid. Recent studies imply that these integration costs do not become significant (5%-10% of wholesale prices) until wind turbines account for 15%-30% of the capacity in a given control area. Opposition to wind power arises for environmental, aesthetic, or aviation security reasons. New public-private partnerships have been established to address more comprehensively problems with avian (bird and bat) deaths resulting from wind farms. Some stakeholders oppose the construction of wind plants for visual reasons, especially in pristine or highly-valued areas. Wind technology has improved significantly over the past two decades, and wind energy has become increasingly

$100

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WIND ENERGY ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT. This authoritative resource offers comprehensive details on effectively using wind energy as a viable and economical energy source. Featuring a multidisciplinary approach, Wind Energy Engineering covers physics, meteorology, aerodynamics. wind measurement, wind turbine specifications, electricity, and integration with the grid. Planning, site selection, cost assessment, environmental impact, and project management are also discussed. Filled with diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and statistics, this is a definitive reference to current and future developments in wind energy. Wind Energy Engineering covers: The business of wind energy worldwide; Wind energy basics; Meteorological properties of wind and air; Aerodynamics of wind turbine blades; Wind measurement, data management, and reporting; Wind resource assessment; Advanced topics in resource assessment, including wake, losses, and uncertainty; Wind turbine generator components; Electricity and generator basics; Deploying wind turbines in the grid; Environmental impact of wind projects; Financial modeling, planning, and execution of wind projects

$175

Wind Energy Comes of Age is the most thorough assessment ever published of the technology, economics, and politics of generating electricity with wind. It provides an up-to-date status report on the modern wind industry worldwide. Written by Paul Gipe, one of America’s leading wind energy experts, this book chronicles wind energy’s remarkable progress from its rebirth during the 1970s through a troubled adolescence in California’s mountain passes in the 1980s to its maturation on the plains of northern Europe in the 1990s. Gipe argues in a readable and engaging style that wind is no longer an alternative source of energy. He cites improvements in the performance, reliability, and cost effectiveness of modern wind turbines to support his contention that wind energy has come of age as a commercial technology. Unlike other books on the subject, which focus on technology alone, Wind Energy Comes of Age critically examines a host of issues that will determine the future of this renewable resource, including: * Wind energy’s environmental benefits * The design of wind turbines “as if people matter” * Wind energy’s impact on people and the environment * Aesthetics and public acceptance * Wind energy’s potential * Centrally directed vs. market-oriented R & D * Wind energy’s role in electric utilities Wind Energy Comes of Age is extensively illustrated with more than 170 original line drawings, photographs, and charts. An annotated bibliography, tables of technical data, maps of wind resources, and a virtually exhaustive list of manufacturers, governmental agencies, and private organizations working with the wind further enhance the book’s value as a reference. Not since the classic works of Putnam in 1948 or Golding in 1955 has there been a book on wind energy of this scope. For those interested in the burgeoning wind energy field–engineers, researchers, environmentalists, policy specialists, and community leaders–Wind Energy Comes of Age is an essential resource. Written by Paul Gipe, one of America’s leading wind energy experts, Wind Energy Comes of Age is a comprehensive guide to the technology, economics, and politics of wind energy. Gipe has brought together information available nowhere else about American and European experience with wind energy. This landmark work is an indispensable reference source for engineers, researchers, environmentalists, planners, policy specialists, and community leaders who deal with this fast-growing field. “A pragmatism born of meticulous research and wide field experience has made Paul Gipe one of windpower’s most astute critics and most credible friends. He backs his exuberant chronicle with an insider’s knowledge of the difficult process by which wind power has finally become practical. This is one of the best accounts of the rise of a technology I’ve ever seen.”–Jay Baldwin, Whole Earth Review “The wind energy field has waited a long time for a well-written, informative reference book

$108.48

Responding to growing international interest in wind energy and decentralized energy production, this book focuses on the potential for exploiting wind power in urban areas. With radical implications for the generation of renewable energy in the city and hence our environment as a whole, this landmark book paves the way for significant developments in low-energy design and high-rise architecture.Having outlined the fundamentals, the authors examine wind enhancement and integration techniques and address aesthetic, aerodynamic, architectural, environmental, and structural constraints. Turbulence levels are discussed in detail, design guidance is given to aid performance prediction, and a methodology is provided to assess UWECS (urban wind energy conversion systems) from economic and environmental perspectives. International case studies are included, complemented by the results from a project field-testing a two-story prototype building with an integrated wind turbine."Urban Wind Energy" is suitable for researchers and students in wind energy, energy consultants, professionals in local government and urban planning, and architects and engineers with an interest in renewable energy and sustainable design.