Introduction
Over the past few decades, the city of Dubai has been experiencing rise in energy prices especially electricity. This change has compelled Dubai residents to consume minimal electricity as a result of increase in electricity prices. For instance, in 2009, the total amount of electricity consumed by an average household amounted to 16578 kilowatt-hours. In 2010 electricity consumption per household dropped to 15,701 kilowatt-hours. The sudden drop in the amount of electricity consumed per household is attributed to the increasing costs of electricity in Dubai.
The increased utility bill has altered the behaviors of consumers in Dubai. Dubai residents are frustrated by the increase in energy prices since they are forced to consume less and thus they are unable to meet their daily energy needs. In 2011, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) increased electricity chargesto 37 fils per kilowatt-hour from 35 fils per kilowatt-hour.
The electricity consumed in the city of Dubai is mainly powered by gas power plants. Gas power plants use natural gas which is a non-renewable source of energy. Non-renewable sources of energy such as natural gas and coal are unsustainable since they take millions of years to develop and hence they have finite life span. Non-renewable sources of energy especially those from fossil fuels pollute the environment and hence are not the best option.
The city council of Dubai has been on the quest to find cheaper and environmentally friendly means of generating electricity to meet the future energy needs of the city. Dubai has been experiencing an influx in the number of energy consumers, this has compelled the city council of Dubai to search for alternative sources of energy that are affordable and renewable.
Global warming is a serious challenge that is facing the world and thus governments need to consider using environmentally friendly sources to generate energy. Renewable sources such as solar and wind energy are cheaper and environmentally friendly compared to gas power plants. Wind energy in particular will enable Dubai to meet the energy needs of its residents, providing them with electricity at lower and affordable costs. Wind energy is the cheapest supply of clean and renewable power (Jain, 2011, p. 101).
Wind Energy
The natural wind is capable of producing large quantities of kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is found in all moving objects. The higher the speed of a body, the larger the amount of kinetic energy it produces. Wind energy was discovered by ancient societies, they used wind energy to pump water and meet their energy needs. Wind energy uses the natural wind from the atmosphere to create mechanical energy which is then transformed into electricity. Wind energy is produced by transforming wind currents into mechanical energy and later into electricity using wind turbines or windmills (Sharma&Kar, 2015, p. 185). The kinetic energy generated by wind turbines is what makes the production of wind energy possible.
A wind farm is established when numerous wind turbines are situated in the same geographical area for large-scale production of electricity, for instance, in the windy hills. Wind farms provide a cheaper source of non-exhaustible energy, this enable governments across the world to provide citizens with affordable electricity that enhances the quality of life. Research has revealed that wind farms have very minimal impact on nearby properties as well as people residing around the wind farm.
The area between the wind turbines is used for production purposes such as agriculture and recreation. Wind farms have minimal effect on the ecological system and wildlife. The best locations to situate a wind farm include the coastal areas, open plains, deserts and windy hills. Concentrating many wind turbines in a small area maximizes the total amount of energy produced by a wind farm and hence the total amount of electricity generated. The most suitable area to locate a wind farm must have an average wind speed of over 27km/h. The average wind speed of Dubai is about 22 km/h and some areas have average wind speed of over 40km/h, this means that Dubai is capable of supporting numerous wind farms.
How Wind Turbines Operate
Majority of wind turbines begin generating power at a wind speed of 4 m/s and generates the maximum energy at wind speed of 27 m/s. The natural wind rotates the blade that is fixed on a tower about 90 meters tall, the blade rotates a shaft that is linked up with a generator to produce electric power. The main reason why wind turbines are mounted on tall towers is that, at high altitudes wind moves at higher speed since high altitudes contain less obstacles to distort them. Wind energy generates kinetic energy that is transformed into mechanical energy and later the generator transform mechanical energy to electric power.
The kinetic energy produced by the wind rotates the blades, the blades are streamlined to enable them spin at minimum kinetic energy. As the blades spin, the gearbox inside the shaft is able to transform the low wind speed into high speed rotations, this enables the generator that is placed next to the gearbox to convert kinetic energy to electricity. In order to maximize the wind energy, the wind turbines have very long blades up to 35 meters in radius. This means that even a low wind speed is able to rotate the blades. The blades normally spin slowly but the components inside spin with great energy to produce electric power (Tong, 2010, p. 77).
The electric power generated by the wind turbines is calculated in Kilowatt-hours of energy (KWh). One kilowatt is equivalent to a thousand watts. Wind speeds averaging between 26 meters and 60 meters per second are capable of generating wind energy of up to 3.5 Megawatts. The amount of energy produced by a wind turbine is determined by the size of the blades, the height of the tower and the size of the generators.
These three components of a wind turbine are essential, long blades placed on a tower that is about 80 meters long, linked with a powerful generator is capable of producing large amounts of wind energy. A single turbine with a capacity of 3 Megawatts is able to generate about 7 million Kilowatt-hours annually. This means that a single wind turbine has the capability of powering over 500 households.
The Cost of Putting up a Wind Turbine
A small wind turbine with a capacity of less than 95 kilowatts cost between $2500 and $ 7500. The installation cost alone amounts to over $ 70,000. The benefits of putting up a wind turn outweigh the cost by a large margin. A large-scale wind turbine has a total cost of about $ 4.5 million per Megawatt. The cost of installing a large-scale wind turbine is about 40% of the total cost.
The benefits realized from a single wind turbine is determined by various factors such as the speed of the wind, the electricity rates and the technology used. The cost of putting up a wind turbine near the ocean is 15% lower than onshore areas. The maintenance costs of a single wind turbine is about 2% its total cost. The payback period of a large-scale wind turbine is about 20 years(Jain, 2011, p. 132). This is why wind energy is relatively cheaper.
A recent study reveals that UAE will save $ 2 billion if the country attains 15% of renewable energy. By 2020, UAE will produce about 8% of its energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind, wind energy is set to generate 3% of the total energy. Solar energy is more abundant in UAE compared to wind energy. UAE currently produces about 350 MW from wind energy. The amount of wind energy produced by UAE will continue to increase as the country begins to rely more on renewable energy.
The cost of natural gas will continue to increase globally, oil production in UAE is predicted to decline in the coming decades and thus the cost of natural gas will be high. Gas power plants will therefore be expensive to operate and maintain, this means that electricity from gas power plants will be expensive unless cheaper alternatives are taken into consideration. The Tafila wind farm in Dubai has the capacity of generating 118 MW, this wind farm is important since it increases the entire energy of UAE by 2.9%.
Advantages of using Wind Farms in Dubai
Wind farms have a lot of benefits to the economy of a country since they generate clean energy at cheaper costs and they provide renewable energy that is inexhaustible for many years. This will provide Dubai residents with a cleaner environment that contains all the necessary components of the atmosphere. Wind energy will play a significant role in meeting the energy needs of Dubai, the electricity prices in Dubai have been increasing over the past years and hence wind farms will power Dubai with affordable electricity.
Wind turbines can be constructed in the city spaces and recreation centers since they have very little impact on the surrounding ecosystem (Nelson, 2014, p. 89). Wind energy is sustainable and reliable and thus Dubai residents will enjoy uninterrupted electric power to meet their daily energy requirements. Since most of Dubai’s energy is generated by gas power plants which are non-renewable, wind farms provide a cheaper alternative taking into account the fact that UAE’s natural gas is depleting.
Disadvantages of Wind Farms in Dubai.
The city of Dubai experiences low wind speed and hence most parts of the city cannot support a wind farm. The wind speeds are also not constant in Dubai they can range between 10 km/h to 35 km/h. Since wind speed is not constant in Dubai throughout the year, wind energy may be unreliable during some seasons. For a wind farm to have enough power capacity, it needs numerous wind turbines, the city of Dubai has little space to support construction of wind farms. Wind turbines are also vulnerable to destruction from natural disasters such as earthquakes and severe storms(Sharma &Kar, 2015, p. 118). The best places to locate wind farms in Dubai are remote and distant from the city and this increases the total cost of supplying the city with wind energy.
Appendix
How a Wind Turbine Works
Wind Farms
What is Wind Energy?
Wind energy is harnessed using wind turbines. The wind turbines are able to produce electricity by converting wind currents into mechanical energy. The natural wind generates kinetic energy that is converted into mechanical energy by wind turbines.
What is a Wind Farm?
A wind farm refers to a wide windy area developed to generate wind energy. A wind farm contains many wind turbines for large-scale generation of wind energy. For instance, the Tafila wind farm in Dubai.
How do Wind Turbines Work?
A wind turbine works in the following way, the natural wind rotates the blades of a windturbine. The rotation of the blade causes the shaft to spin as well. The rotating shaft is linked up to a power generator that produces electricity by turning kinetic energy into mechanical energy.
How much energy does a Wind Turbine Produce?
A wind turbine has the capacity to produce 2-3 MW at wind speeds of between 25-57 m/s.
How much does a Wind Turbine Cost?
A large scale wind turbine costs $3-$5 inclusive of the installation costs. This wind turbine is able to generate 2-3 MW.
How much Wind Energy is already produced in UAE?
Wind energy of about 350 MW is already being produced in UAE. The amount of wind energy produced by UAE is expected to continue rising since more wind farms are being established in the coastal areas and mainlands.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy Farms in Dubai?
Currently Dubai is experiencing high electricity costs since most of Dubai energy is generated from gas power plants. Wind energy will produce clean and affordable electricity that is renewable.
The disadvantage of putting up a wind farm in Dubai is that, Dubai has little space left for constructing a wind farm. Dubai is also located in an area that has unpredictable and low wind speeds and hence wind energy will be unreliable.
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