Wind As Alternative Energy Resource For Future Mars Exploration
- Paper number
IAC-07-C3.3.04
- Author
Mr. Isaac Pineda Amo, ITA - Instituto Tecnogico de Aragon, Spain
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Solar power has been used for planetary exploration and space navigation as main energy resource. Due to the future establishment of bases and human presence in Mars the research of alternative ways of energy generation is an obligation in space engineering and science. The solar flux decreases with the square of the distance from the Sun. This effect plus the accumulation of dust produce important problems. An example can be found in the Pathfinder Mission which suffered from dust degradation. Too much dust and not enough light make it difficult to keep the batteries charged. Wind energy is the vanguard of clean and renewable technologies on Earth, providing a solution to the energy problem. Technology in this field is currently very advance, bringing the cost of wind energy down. This previous experience on Earth gives the idea that it could be possible to export it to a planet like Mars, where the conditions are somehow alike to the ones on Earth. The Red Planet offers some good and bad features for wind utilization. The atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the Earth’s, but the winds are much higher. It is only needed wind of 4 or 5 times the one in the Earth to generate the same amount of energy. Therefore the wind mills will have to be designed for low pressure and high velocity. Dust and storms become important problems that must be taken into consideration and investigated. Based on the author’s previous involvement in the project “Autonomous Control of a Wind Turbine” at Aalborg University in collaboration with an international company, this paper will describe briefly how wind energy and wind turbines work. Then, it will focus on the study and application of wind turbines in Mars’ environment, considering atmospheric features and the dust problem. This is followed by the design and simulation of a specific turbine placed in a Martian location. Hereafter conclusions and perspective ends the article.
- Abstract document