The strength of the wind

Even while still at university, it always looked like I would end up working in renewable energies. It coincided with the boom following the first great developments in the sector and for an engineer like me it looked like a great job opportunity. Everywhere you went all you heard about was new projects that were being developed. We felt that a new wind was blowing for our profession. And I came on board as soon as I could. First, by building electricity lines for a number of customers. It was how I opened the door, learning about companies and new opportunities. And that is how I got the opportunity of going to build a photovoltaic plant in Alcañiz. It was my first major experience and once I got going I never stopped. Now, after almost two decades, I am Regional Head of Wind Operation and Maintenance at Enel Green Power. 

I have experienced first-hand how the development of the sector has been catalysed during this time in which these technologies have gone from being secondary to playing a decisive role in the transition towards a decarbonised economy. The production of wind energy has advanced so much that, compared to the first electric wind turbine built by Charles Francis Brush (1888), those of today are 10 times larger, but 500 times more efficient.    

This accelerated progress starts in an industrial estate, hundreds of kilometres from the mountain where they have been installed with absolute precision. On a computer screen, the pixels are reduced to optimise designs, making the most of the geometry until it produces every possible increase in performance. That virtual benefit is immediately carried over into the real world. Moulds, fibre and resin are responsible for making it come to life. Then the recipe for success is jealously guarded. Manufacturers are like Formula One teams. Every tenth of a second there are business plans worth hundreds of millions.   

The physics that govern the manufacture of blades is essentially the same as that used in the wings of an aircraft. The blades need to maximise air resistance so as to transform the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity, the wings need to maximise that resistance to keep the aircraft in the air with ease.

It seems like a complex challenge. It is about making use of something we only feel through the system of nerve endings that cover our skin. You might think this is a relatively modern challenge, but human beings have been trying to dominate the wind since ancient times, trying to make use of its thrust. On the Nile is where the first sails were placed on the boats that traded along its waters. And in the 7th century they were abundantly used in Asia in mills to grind corn.