Lesson Plan: Wind Power Physics

Students will be able to

• recall the basic energy transfers that take place for wind power (kinetic energy of the wind electrical energy),
• recall that wind turbines produce alternating current,
• recall the difference between onshore and offshore wind turbines,
• recall the advantages and disadvantages of onshore and offshore wind turbines:
  • wind speeds are on average higher over the sea than over land,
  • offshore wind turbines do not take up valuable space on land,
  • onshore wind farms are cheaper to build and maintain than offshore wind farms,
• recall that wind turbine power output varies depending on wind speed,
• know that there is an upper limit to the wind speeds that wind turbines can be used in and that above this limit, wind turbines have to be turned off or they will break,
• recall the general advantages and disadvantages of wind farms over other types of power stations:
  • they produce almost no ,
  • they do not produce any other pollutants,
  • they are relatively cheap to maintain,
  • they can only be built in certain locations,
  • they only produce electricity when it is windy,
• do basic calculations of the power output of a wind farm.