SKEE 4653

Photovoltaic and Wind

Energy Systems
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Tan Chee Wei
P03-217
cheewei@utm.my
Division of Electrical Power Engineering
School of Electrical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
 Chapter 3
Wind Energy System

SKEE 4653 - Photovoltaic and Wind Energy Systems

Chapter 3. Wind Energy System
Introduction
Wind Power, Wind Speed and Energy Distributions
Power Extracted from the Wind
Wind Power System, System Components
Variable-Speed Operation, Maximum Power Operation
Electrical Generator, Electromechanical Energy
Conversion,
Induction Generator, Generator Drive
Analysis of Small Generating Systems
 Introduction
 The sun is the main source of all alternative energies on the earth’s
surface.
 Wind energy, bioenergy, ocean energy, and hydro energy are derived
from the sun.
 However, the term solar energy refers to the energy that is harvested
directly from the sun using solar cells, solar concentrators, etc.
 Although solar energy is abundant on the earth’s surface, harvesting
it into a useful energy form is challenging and often costly.
 Among all of the alternative energy resources, solar energy is most
costly for generation of electricity.
 Solar energy can be used either as a source of thermal energy when
using solar concentrators, or for direct electricity generation when using
photovoltaics (PV).
 Wind Energy
Wind energy is kinetic energy from the wind that is transformed in
mechanical or electric energy.
Windmills or wind turbines can create it. Windmills turn wind
power into mechanical energy that turns blades used to pump
water, grinding grains or other products.
Wind turbines also use large blades, but these become speedier
with the help of gear transmission and a generator creates
electricity. They can also be used to pump water, as well as
powering entire cities and charging batteries for industry.
Wind power generates no pollution on the environment, and like
solar power it is free. It also helps create jobs and increase local
tax revenues.
It is the most common renewable energy for commercial use and
is found mainly in wind farms in areas with high altitudes.
Source: www.carbonbrief.org
Source: www.carbonbrief.org
 As of the end of 2014, worldwide, total cumulative
installed capacity from wind power amounts to 369,553 MW and
increased by 16% compared to the previous year (318,106 MW).
 In 2014, world leader China installed almost half of the world's added
wind power capacity.
 Global wind power installations increased by 35,467 megawatts (MW) and
51,447 MW in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
 As of 2011, the Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW) in the United States is the
world's largest wind farm.
 As of September 2010, the Thanet Wind Farm in United Kingdom is the
largest offshore wind farm in the world at 300 MW, followed by Horns Rev
II (209 MW) in Denmark. The United Kingdom is the world's leading
generator of offshore wind power, followed by Denmark.
 There are many large wind farms under or recently constructed and these
include BARD Offshore 1 (400 MW), Clyde Wind Farm (548 MW), Greater
Gabbard wind farm(500 MW), Lincs Wind Farm (270 MW), London
Array (630 MW), Lower Snake River Wind Project (343 MW), Macarthur
Wind Farm (420 MW), Shepherds Flat Wind Farm(845 MW), Sheringham
Shoal (317 MW), and the Walney Wind Farm (367 MW).
• The 31 GW added in China in 2015 was around half the global total of 63 GW,
which was a record for a single year.

• China now spends more on renewables than the US and EU combined. It’s
worth noting there was a lull in Chinese clean energy investment in the first
quarter of 2016, however.

• China’s wind capacity of 145GW now exceeds the EU’s and is three times that in
Germany.

• Other notable features of the data are that India has a higher wind capacity,
with 25 GW, than the UK (14 GW) and France (10 GW) combined. Poland’s 5.10
GW marginally exceeds Denmark’s 5.06GW.

• Most of the world’s 433GW of wind capacity is onshore. Europe leads the way
on offshore wind, with 11 GW, of which 5 GW is in the UK.

• China is the only other significant offshore wind market in the world, with 1 GW.
However, countries including Japan, South Korea, the US and India are starting
to develop the technology.
The Gansu Wind Farm in China is the largest wind farm in the world, with a target capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020.
The Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is an 845 MW wind farm in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Global Wind Dataset
 Movie Clip:
Fact About Wind Energy

Movie Clip:
Wind Turbine - How it works?
 Appropriate Location
• Basic characteristics to be observed for defining a site:
– Wind intensities in the area
– Distance of transmission and distribution networks
– Topography
– Purpose of the energy generated
– Means of access
 Wind Turbine Sizes and Applications
•Wind turbines can provide energy for onsite use as well as for export for sale.
•The energy needs will determine the size of the turbine.
•Wind turbine economics are maximized when the project size is designed to
match the energy needs of the load while also monetizing economies of scale and
equipment track record.
•Residential onsite energy use requires a small turbine (typically less than 10
kilowatts (kW)) that can generate the amount of power that the home requires for
daily operation.
•Midsize machines can produce enough energy to match larger commercial onsite
loads. Utility-scale machines that maximize generation for the site infrastructure
footprint and cost are best suited for utility-scale projects.
•Regardless of project size, projects connected to the electrical grid will require
utility approvals and may require grid impact studies before construction can
begin.
 Wind Turbine Sizes and Applications
 Residential-Scale Onsite Energy Use ( < 10 kW)
 Small Commercial-Scale Onsite Energy Use (10 - 50 kW)
 Commercial Onsite Energy Use (50 - 250 kW)
 Large Commercial or Industrial Energy Use (500 kW - 1.5 MW)
 This machine class is typically indistinguishable from utility-scale turbines on a technology
basis. The towers often exceed 200 feet, which need to be fitted with obstruction lighting.
 Projects of this size warrant community involvement and endorsement or approval at all
levels.
 Utility-Scale Energy Use (1.5 - 7.5 MW)
 These large turbines have rotors measuring more than 250 feet in diameter and are
installed on tall towers that require aviation obstruction notification and lighting. Because
of their size and the scale of the installations, utility-scale wind turbines require
environmental, utility, and public coordination at the highest levels.
 Utility-scale wind farms require exacting resource assessments, legal and financial due
diligence, utility integration, and financing typical of very large capital investments
installations, such as airports.
Average land-based wind turbine size and levelized cost of energy through 2012, and range of state-of-the-art turbines that could be
deployed by addressing barriers (image via NREL)
Movie Clip:
Construction of the Largest Wind Farm in Southeast
Asia

Enercon E126
Movie Clip:
How do Wind Turbines work -
 Wind Turbine – Betz’s law
• Betz' law states that only less than 16/27 (or 59%) of the wind
power can be converted into mechanical power using a wind
turbine.
 • The coefficient of power of a wind turbine is a measurement of how efficiently the
wind turbine converts the energy in the wind into electricity.
• To find the coefficient of power at a given wind speed

Betz Limit
Albert Betz was a German physicist who calculated that no wind turbine could convert
more than 59.3% of the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy turning a
rotor.
• This is known as the Betz Limit, and is the theoretical maximum coefficient of power
for any wind turbine.

Example
A net wind mechanical power of the turbine is imposed by this kinetic
energy difference, which may estimated as

where Cp is the power coefficient or rotor efficiency as expressed by Betz.

the maximum Cp = 0.5926, this value is known as the Betz limit, the
point at which if the blades were 100% efficient, the wind turbine would
no longer work because the air (having given up all its energy) would stop
entirely after passing its blades.

In practice, the collection efficiency of a rotor is not as high as 59%; a

more typical efficiency is between 35 and 45%.
Tip-Speed Ratio (TSR)
• Efficiency is a function of how fast the rotor turns
• Tip-Speed Ratio (TSR) is the speed of the outer tip of the blade divided by
windspeed
πD=2πr

• D = rotor diameter (m)

• v = upwind undisturbed winds peed (m/s)
• rpm = rotor speed, (revolutions/min)
• One meter per second = 2.24 miles per hour
Variation In Efficiency With Tip Speed Ratio (TSR)
Wind Turbine Power Characteristics
 Wind Turbine Power Characteristics
Cut-in speed
•At very low wind speeds, there is insufficient torque exerted by the wind on the turbine blades to
make them rotate.
•However, as the speed increases, the wind turbine will begin to rotate and generate electrical
power.
•The speed at which the turbine first starts to rotate and generate power is called the cut-in
speed and is typically between 3 and 4 metres per second.
Rated output power and rate output wind speed
•As the wind speed rises above the cut-in speed, the level of electrical output power rises rapidly as
shown.
•However, typically somewhere between 12 and 17 metres per second, the power output reaches
the limit that the electrical generator is capable of.
•This limit to the generator output is called the rated power output and the wind speed at which it
is reached is called the rated output wind speed.
•At higher wind speeds, the design of the turbine is arranged to limit the power to this maximum
level and there is no further rise in the output power.
•How this is done varies from design to design but typically with large turbines, it is done by
adjusting the blade angles so as to to keep the power at the constant level.
Cut-out speed
•As the speed increases above the rate output wind speed, the forces on the turbine structure
continue to rise and, at some point, there is a risk of damage to the rotor.
•As a result, a braking system is employed to bring the rotor to a standstill.
•This is called the cut-out speed and is usually around 25 metres per second.
Example
 Quiz

1. Sketch the wind turbine anatomy (from the blades to the

transmission line). Label at least 10 important components.

2. Can you tell the function of each labeled component?

3. What is power vs wind speed characteristic?

4. What are the important speed limits/thresholds?

5. Can you sketch the characteristic if given a wind turbine data

sheet?
 Wind Turbine Characteristics
 In low to medium wind speeds, the pitch angle
is controlled to allow the wind turbine to
operate at its optimum condition.
 In the high wind speed region, the pitch angle is
increased to shed some of the aerodynamic
power.
Example
Following the previous example:
Estimate the electrical power generated if
the efficiency of the generator is 90% and
the total power conditioning efficiency is 95%.

The electrical power generated

= Pmech x Generator Efficiency x PCU efficiency
= 3.6 MW x 0.9 x 0.95
= 3.078 MW
Example
 Wind power
• The kinetic energy per unit time in a flow
of air through a rotor disk is
1  1
W  AV  V 2   AV 3
2  2
• The wind power per unit area
or wind power density is
1
P AV 3
2
Note: Under standard condition (sea level,
15oC), the density of air is 1.225 kg/m3

• Qualitatively, a wind resource is poor if the hourly average wind power

density Pav/A < 100 W/m2, good if Pav/A ≈ 400 W/m2, and great if
Pav/A > 700 W/m2.
Test 2
Date:
Time:
Duration: 1 hr
Venue: P16
Topic:
Fill In ePPP online
Study for Final exam 
 Average Power in the Wind
• How much energy can we expect from a wind turbine?
• To figure out average power in the wind, we need to know the average value of the
cube of velocity:
1
P  AV 3
2
• This is why we can’t use average wind speed vavg to find the average power in the
wind

Example
In order to calculate the mean
power from a wind turbine over
a range of mean wind speeds, a
generalised expression is
needed for the probability
density distribution. An
expression which gives a good fit
to wind data is known as the
Weibull distribution.
 • The Weibull distribution shown below has two parameters k and c.
• The Rayleigh distribution is actually a special case of the Weibull distribution with k = 2.
k 1
k V 
e V / c 
k
f (V )    0 V  
cc

Weibull Fit Comparison Weibull Distributions

11%
1
10% Frequency Data
Weibull Fit 0.9 k = 2; c = 1.5
9%
0.8 k = 2; c = 3
8% k = 2; c = 5
0.7
7% k = 4; c = 1.5
0.6
Frequency

6% k = 4; c = 3

f(x)
0.5 k = 4; c = 5
5%
0.4 k = 2 gives
4%
Rayleigh
0.3
3% distribtuion
2% 0.2

1% 0.1
0% 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wind Speed, V (m/s)
x
Wind Turbine Anatomy
Wind Turbine Anatomy
Wind Turbine Anatomy
 Wind Turbine Component Description
Anemometer: Measures the wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller.
Blades: Lifts and rotates when wind is blown over them, causing the rotor to spin. Most
turbines have either two or three blades.
Brake: Stops the rotor mechanically, electrically, or hydraulically, in emergencies.
Controller: Starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 miles per hour (mph) and
shuts off the machine at about 55 mph. Turbines do not operate at wind speeds above about
55 mph because they may be damaged by the high winds.
Gear box: Connects the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increases the rotational
speeds from about 30-60 rotations per minute (rpm), to about 1,000-1,800 rpm; this is the
rotational speed required by most generators to produce electricity. The gear box is a costly
(and heavy) part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring "direct-drive" generators
that operate at lower rotational speeds and don't need gear boxes.
Generator: Produces 60-cycle AC electricity; it is usually an off-the-shelf induction generator.
High-speed shaft: Drives the generator.
Low-speed shaft: Turns the low-speed shaft at about 30-60 rpm.
 Wind Turbine Component Description
Nacelle: Sits atop the tower and contains the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts,
generator, controller, and brake. Some nacelles are large enough for a helicopter to land on.
Pitch: Turns (or pitches) blades out of the wind to control the rotor speed, and to keep the
rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity.
Rotor: Blades and hub together form the rotor.
Tower: Made from tubular steel (shown here), concrete, or steel lattice. Supports the
structure of the turbine. Because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable
turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity.
Wind direction: Determines the design of the turbine. Upwind turbines—like the one shown
here—face into the wind while downwind turbines face away.
Wind vane: Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the
turbine properly with respect to the wind.
Yaw drive: Orients upwind turbines to keep them facing the wind when the direction
changes. Downwind turbines don't require a yaw drive because the wind manually blows the
rotor away from it.
Yaw motor: Powers the yaw drive.
 Classification of wind turbines
• Horizontal-shaft turbines/Horizontal axis wind turbine:
– Blade type with one, two, or three blades
– Multiple-blade, farm, or spiked type
HAWT
– Double opposite blade type
• Vertical-shaft turbines/Vertical Axis wind turbine:
– Drag turbines VAWT
– Lifting turbines
Horizontal Versus Vertical
 Horizontal-axis wind turbines are mounted on high towers with
the blades powering a gearbox and generator at the axis.
 They are efficient but need wind that is free of turbulence.
 Additional mechanisms are needed for blocking their rotation in
high winds, when they might damage themselves, and for turning
them so that they always point into the wind.
o Wind turbines with vertical axes can be mounted at ground
level or on roofs because they can work in turbulent winds.
o They are less efficient but more compact.
o They don't need protection from high winds, and they
work for wind blowing from any direction without having
to be turned.
Wind Turbines – HAWT & VAWT Concepts
 HAWT vs VAWT
• Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine
– suitable for both small and large systems, and
most commercial wind turbines are HAWT.
– Advantages: High wind speed at a grater height,
High efficiency
– Disadvantages: Complex system, High installation
cost for large systems (Generator and gearbox
installed on top of tower)
• Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
– suitable for small systems
– Advantages: Gearbox and generator can be placed
on the ground, Do not need a yaw system to turn
the rotor against wind (The yaw system of wind turbines is the
component responsible for the orientation of the wind turbine rotor towards
the wind.)

– Disadvantages: Wind speed is low near the

ground, Low efficiency, May need guy wires to
hold the turbine, and difficult maintenance
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT)
Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) have the main rotor shaft and electrical generator
at the top of a tower, and may be pointed into or out of
the wind. Small turbines are pointed by a simple wind vane, while large turbines
generally use a wind sensor coupled with a servo motor. Most have a gearbox,
which turns the slow rotation ofthe blades into a quicker rotation that is more suitable
to drive an electrical generator.
HAWT Advantages
• Variable blade pitch, which gives the turbine blades the optimum angle of attack.
Allowing the angle of attack to be remotely adjusted gives greater control, so
the turbine collects the maximum amount of wind energy for the time of day and
season.
• The tall tower base allows access to stronger wind in sites with wind shear. In some
wind shear sites, every ten meters up, the wind speed can increase by 20%
and the power output by 34%.
• High efficiency, since the blades always moves perpendicularly to the wind, receiving
power through the whole rotation. In contrast, all vertical axis wind
turbines, and most proposed airborne wind turbine designs, involve various types of
reciprocating actions, requiring air foil surfaces to backtrack against the
wind for part of the cycle. Backtracking against the wind leads to inherently lower
efficiency.
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT)

HAWT Disadvantages

• The tall towers and blades up to 90 meters long are difficult to transport.
Transportation can now cost 20% of equipment costs.
• Tall HAWTs are difficult to install, needing very tall and expensive cranes and skilled
operators.
• Massive tower construction is required to support the heavy blades, gearbox, and
generator.
• Reflections from tall HAWTs may affect side lobes of radar installations creating signal
clutter, although filtering can suppress it.
• Their height makes them obtrusively visible across large areas, disrupting the
appearance of the landscape and sometimes creating local opposition.
• Downwind variants suffer from fatigue and structural failure caused by turbulence
when a blade passes through the tower's wind shadow (for this reason, the
majority of HAWTs use an upwind design, with the rotor facing the wind in front of the
tower).
• HAWTs require an additional yaw control mechanism to turn the blades toward the
wind.
 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)

• Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs), which may be as efficient as current

horizontal axis systems, might b practical, simpler and significantly
cheaper to build and maintain than horizontal axis wind turbines(HAWTs).
• They also have other inherent advantages, such as they are always facing
the wind, which might make them a significant player in our quest for
cheaper, cleaner renewable sources of electricity.
• VAWTs might even be critical in mitigating grid interconnect stability and
reliability issues currently facing electricity producers and suppliers.
• Additionally, cheap VAWT's may provide an alternative to the rain forest
destruction for the growing of bio-fuel crops.
 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in addition to being simpler and cheaper to build
have the following advantages:
• They are always facing the wind - no need for steering into the wind.
• Have greater surface area for energy capture - can be many times greater.
• Are more efficient in gusty winds - already facing the gust
• Can be installed in more locations - on roofs, along highways, in parking lots.
• Do not kill birds and wild -life - slow moving and highly visible.
• Can be scaled more easily - from milli-watts to mega-watts.
• Can be significantly less expensive to build - are inherently simpler.
• Can have low maintenance downtime - mechanisms at or near ground level
• Produce less noise -low speed means less noise
• Are more aesthetically pleasing - to some one.
Example
 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Darrieus wind turbine

Darrieus vertical-
axis wind turbine
in Martigny,
Switzerland Savonius wind turbine
Blade Concept
Single bladed
• rotor imbalance – needs counter weight – needs hinge mechanism & shock
absorbers • aerodynamic efficiency less – only one blade cost

Two bladed
• rotor imbalance – no uniform torque – needs hinge mechanism & shock
absorbers • aerodynamic efficiency less – less bending moments – cost is for two
blades

Three bladed (Normal / present practice)

• Uniform torque / symmetrical – three blade cost

Multi bladed
• preferably used for windmill water pumping
 Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

The hub along with the blades can be removed to

change blade types; there can be anywhere from
two to 12 blades (Figure 5).

The most distinctive feature is the hub (Figure 6) that is

designed to accommodate up to twelve blades and can
also adjust the blade pitch. Once the blades are mounted
into the hub, you are able to adjust the blade pitch simply
by rotating what is called the Blade Pitch Controller. A
clockwise/counter-clockwise turn rotates the blades to a
new pitch angle, and then another couple of twists of the
Blade Assembly Lock and Rotor Assembly Lock secure the
new pitch angle in place.
 Blade Pitch
Besides blade shape and the number of blades used, blade pitch
is right up there on the list for how to best generate power based on
wind speed.
Blade pitch or simply pitch refers to adjusting the angle of attack
of the blades of a propeller into or out of the wind to control the
production or absorption of wind power.
The hub allows up to a 90 degree pitch angle.
 For reference, a zero degree pitch angle [with the flat part of the
blades parallel to the wind] is called the “stall angle.” In effect, the
blades are acting as a complete barrier to the wind in this position.
The other extreme is with the blades at a 90 degree angle with
only their leading edge facing the wind. This is called furling or
feathering, and presents the minimum surface area to the oncoming
wind.
Blade pitch control is a feature of nearly all commercial horizontal-
axis wind turbines.
While operating, a wind turbine’s control system adjusts the blade
pitch to keep the rotor speed within operating limits as the wind
The blades are — in effect — really wings
speed changes.
with the same characteristic shape of an Feathering the blades stops the rotor during emergency
aircraft wing. As seen in Figure 8, a wing shutdowns or whenever the wind speed exceeds the maximum
deflects the air moving past it such that rated speed.
the upper part of the airflow generates a During construction and maintenance of wind turbines, the blades
lower pressure, as compared with the are usually feathered to reduce unwanted rotational torque in the
lower part thus imparting “lift.” event of wind gusts.
 Number of Blades
Since most commercial wind turbines use three-blade propellers, you might automatically assume
that three blades are the optimum number.
In fact, the number of blades is a compromise based — once again — on wind conditions and
aesthetics.
The number of blades involves design considerations of aerodynamic efficiency, component costs,
system reliability and aesthetics.
In addition, noise emissions are affected by the location of the blades upwind or downwind of the
tower, and the speed of the rotor.
Given that the noise emissions from the blade’s trailing edge and tip vary by the fifth power of
blade speed, a small increase in tip speed can make a huge difference.
Aerodynamic efficiency increases with the number of blades, but with diminishing return. Increasing
the number of blades from one to two yields a six percent increase in aerodynamic efficiency, whereas
increasing the blade count from two to three yields only an additional three percent in efficiency.
Further increasing the blade count yields minimal improvements in aerodynamic efficiency and
sacrifices too much in blade stiffness as the blades become thinner.
System reliability is also affected by blade count, primarily through the dynamic loading of the rotor
into the drive train and tower systems.
Finally, aesthetics can be considered one of the biggest factors in determining blade count, since
most people find the three-bladed rotor is more pleasing to look at as opposed to a one or two bladed
rotor. All these are reasons why modern wind turbines use three blades.
 Blade Materials
• In general, ideal materials should meet the following criteria:
• wide availability and easy processing to reduce cost and maintenance
• low weight or density to reduce gravitational forces
• high strength to withstand strong loading of wind and gravitational force of the
blade itself
• high fatigue resistance to withstand cyclic loading
• high stiffness to ensure stability of the optimal shape and orientation of the
blade and clearance with the tower
• high fracture toughness
• the ability to withstand environmental impacts such as lightning strikes,
humidity, and temperature
• The majority of current commercialized wind turbine blades are made from
fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP’s), which are composites consisting of a
polymer matrix and fibers. The long fibers provide longitudinal stiffness and
strength, and the matrix provides fracture toughness, delamination
strength, out-of-plane strength, and stiffness.
• Material indices based on maximizing power efficiency, and having high
fracture toughness, fatigue resistance, and thermal stability, have been
shown to be highest for glass and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP’s
and CFRPs).
 Blade Materials

Fiberglass-reinforced epoxy blades of Siemens SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines. The blade size
of 49 meters is in comparison to a substation behind them at Wolfe Island Wind Farm.
 Tower height
• For HAWTs, tower heights approximately two to three times the blade length
have been found to balance material costs of the tower against better
utilisation of the more expensive active components.
• Currently, the majority of wind turbines are supported by conical tubular steel
towers.
• These towers represent 30% – 65% of the turbine weight and therefore
account for a large percentage of the turbine transportation costs.
• The use of lighter materials in the tower could greatly reduce the overall
transport and construction cost of wind turbines, however the stability must
be maintained.
Gearbox Concept

Turbines with gear

• Planetary gear box - Parallel shaft helical gear box
• loads will be high – vibrations are more

Turbine without gear

• Rotor directly connected to the generator
• slow speed operation
• number of poles in the generator will be more
• less weight of the nacelle
 Rated power
2.300 kW

Rotor diameter 71 m

Hub height in meter 57 / 64 / 75 / 85 / 98 / 114

Enercon
Wind zone (DIBt) WZ III

Wind class (IEC) IEC/EN IA und IEC/EN IIA

Overview of
technical details WEC concept Gearless, variable speed,
single blade adjustment
 Rated power 7.580 kW
Overview of
technical details Rotor diameter 127 m

Hub height in meter 135

Enercon
Wind zone (DIBt) WZ III

Wind class (IEC) IEC/EN IA

WEC concept Gearless, variable speed,

single blade adjustment
Wind Energy Conversion technology

The basic electrical design of any type of

ENERCON WEC is identical.
The rotor is directly connected, that means
without intermediate gearbox, to the multi-pole,
electrically excited annular generator.
The electrical power produced by the generator is
fed via a full-scale power converter into the electric
network.
The converter system itself consists of a rectifier, a
DC link and several inverters.
This is the major advantage of the annular
generator.
In electrical terms, it is completely decoupled
from the grid.
This enables a high level of rotor speed variability
and, in turn allows for a more mechanically robust
design with fewer moving parts.
In addition to this the electrical properties of
ENERCON WECs are solely determined by the
inverters used and the corresponding FACTS-
(Flexible AC Transmission System) controller.
Turbine Rotation vs
Power Characteristics
Singly-fed Induction Generator Wind Turbine

Induction generator Power flow

Variable frequency
gear Power flow
ac voltage
rectifier

dc link ac(50~60 Hz)

inverter

Power flow

Energy storage
devices

load

dc-dc converter
Doubly-fed Induction Generator Wind Turbine
Power flow

Power flow Power flow

gear
Inverter dc link Inverter
/rectifier /rectifier grid

Wound rotor induction

generator

load
 Doubly-fed Induction
Generator Wind Turbine
Doubly-fed Induction
Generator Wind
Turbine
Advantages 

Disadvantages 
 Generator Concept
1.Asynchronous generator (constant / variable speed / preferably
high speed generators)
• Stator connected with grid – rotor (short circuited copper
bars)
• if it runs, above synchronous speed – becomes generator

2. Synchronous generator (variable speed / slow speed)

• Stator built with permanent magnet / grid – rotor (copper
windings - needs DC excitation)
• No slip

3. Future / recent concepts in generator

• Double fed – stator connected with grid - rotor also
connected with grid using slip rings
Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Generator, Gearless (PMSG)
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator, Gearless
(PMSG)
Advantages 
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator, Gearless (PMSG)
Disdvantages 
 Turbine
capacity vs
rotor diameter
and tower
height
 Fixed Speed Application
• Generator, which is mechanically coupled to the wind turbine, is
directly connected to the utility grid.
• At a given operating point, the rotor has to rotate at a fixed speed
govern by the frequency of the utility.
• Resulted in a severe mechanical stresses caused by the variation in
wind energy and disturbances in the network
 Variable Speed Application
• Capture maximum wind energy compared to the fixed speed
operation.
• Instead of directly connected to the grid, variable speed
configuration are connected to the grid using power electronic
converters.
• The most common types of generators used are the induction and
synchronous generators.
 Wind Turbine Characteristics

Figure 2. The characteristic

Figure 3. Characteristics of turbine power
of the power coefficient as
as a function of the rotor speed for a series
a function of the tip speed
of wind speeds.
ratio.
 MPPT Techniques

Why MPPT controller?

• Determine the optimal operating point for the different wind
speed.
• Maximize the energy harvested.

Available MPPT algorithms:

A. Tip speed ratio control
B. Optimal torque control
C. Power signal feedback control
D. Perturbation and observation control
E. Other methods
MPPT Techniques
Cost Share of 5 MW Turbine Components
 Movie Clip:
Construction of the Largest
Wind Farm in Southeast Asia

Movie Clip:
Enercon E126 –
The Most Powerful Wind Turbine
in The World
 Movie Clip:
What's inside a wind turbine

Movie Clip:
A Real Tour Inside a Wind Turbine
wind
 Example:

1.Given the air density , rho = 1.225 kg/m3 and the rotor blade is 40 m,
the power coefficient is 0.41 at the rated wind speed of 14 m/s.
The wind turbine generator is connected to an induction generator
with the technical efficiency of 97%. The generator is linked to a single
phase full wave rectifier with the firing angle of 15 degree, its efficiency
is 98%.

a)Determine the electrical power harvested at the end of the rectifier at

the rated condition. (3.287 MW)
b)What is the equation to be used if you were asked to find the voltage
at the end of the rectifier… ()
c)What is the element typically found at the end of the rectifier…
d)What is the next component after component suggested in (c)
e)What is the capacity of this wind turbine? (3.36 MW)
f)Sketch the block diagram of the above scenario….
The first offshore
wind project was
installed off the
coast of Denmark
in 1991. Since that
time, commercial-
scale offshore wind
facilities have been
operating in
shallow waters
around the world,
mostly in Europe.
• Offshore wind power refers to
the construction of wind
farms in bodies of water to
generate electricity from wind.
• Unlike the typical usage of the
term "offshore" in the marine
industry, offshore wind power
includes inshore water areas
such as lakes, fjords and
sheltered coastal areas,
utilizing traditional fixed-bottom
wind turbine technologies, as
well as deep-water areas
utilizing floating wind turbines.

• The U.S. National Renewable

Energy Laboratory has further
defined offshore wind power
based on its siting in terms
water depth to include shallow
water, transitional water, and
deep water offshore wind
power.
Source: Mike Robinson, Walt Musial, National Wind Technology Center National Renewable Energy Laboratory
 Offshore Wind Energy Technology

•The engineering and design of offshore wind facilities depends on site-specific

conditions, particularly water depth, geology of the seabed, and wave loading.
•In shallow areas, mono piles are the preferable foundation type.
•A steel pile is driven into the seabed, supporting the tower and nacelle.
•The nacelle is a shell that encloses the gearbox, generator, and blade hub
(generally a three-bladed rotor connected through the drive train to the
generator) and the remaining electronic components.
•Once the turbine is operational, wind sensors connected to a yaw drive system
turn the nacelle to face into the wind, thereby maximizing the amount of
electricity produced.
 Technology Advancement / Safety / Protection

•Today’s offshore turbines have technical modifications and substantial system

upgrades for adaptation to the marine environment.
•These modifications include strengthening the tower to cope with loading forces
from waves or ice flows, pressurizing nacelles to keep corrosive sea spray from
critical electrical components, and adding brightly colored access platforms for
navigation safety and maintenance access.
•Offshore turbines are typically equipped with extensive corrosion protection,
internal climate control systems, high-grade exterior paint, and built-in service
cranes.
•To minimize the expense of everyday servicing, offshore turbines may have
automatic greasing systems to lubricate bearings and blades as well as heating
and cooling systems to maintain gear oil temperature within a specified range.
•Lightning protection systems help minimize the risk of damage from lightning
strikes that occur frequently in some offshore locations.
•There are also navigation and aviation warning lights, regulated by the U.S.
Coast Guard and the FAA.
•Turbines and towers are typically painted light grey or off-white to help them
blend into the sky, reducing visual impacts from the shore.
•The lower section of the support towers may be painted bright colors to increase
navigational safety for passing vessels.
 Design environment

•Offshore wind resource characteristics span a range of spatial and temporal scales
and field data on external conditions.
•For the North Sea, wind turbine energy is around 30 kWh/m2 of sea area, per year,
delivered to grid. The energy per sea area is roughly independent of turbine size.
•Necessary data includes water depth, currents, seabed, migration, and wave action,
all of which drive mechanical and structural loading on potential turbine
configurations.
•Other factors include marine growth, salinity, icing, and the geotechnical
characteristics of the sea or lake bed.
•A number of things are necessary in order to attain the necessary information on
these subjects.
•Existing hardware for these measurements includes Light Detection and Ranging
(LIDAR), Sonic Detection and Ranging (SODAR), radar, autonomous underwater
vehicles (AUV), and remote satellite sensing, although these technologies should be
assessed and refined
• Because of the previous factors, one of the biggest difficulties with offshore
wind farms is the ability to predict loads.
• Analysis must account for the dynamic coupling between translational (surge,
sway, and heave) and rotational (roll, pitch, and yaw) platform motions and
turbine motions, as well as the dynamic characterization of mooring lines for
floating systems.
• Foundations and substructures make up a large fraction of offshore wind
systems, and must take into account every single one of these factors.
• Corrosion is also a serious problem and requires detailed design
considerations.
• The prospect of remote monitoring of corrosion looks very promising using
expertise utilised by the offshore oil/gas industry and other large industrial
plants.
• Some of the guidelines for designing offshore wind farms are IEC 61400-
3, but in the US several other standards are necessary.
• In the EU, different national standards are to be straight-lined into more
cohesive guidelines to lower costs.
• The standards requires that a loads analysis is based on site-specific external
conditions such as wind, wave and currents.
 Planning
Offshore turbines require different types of bases for stability, according to the
depth of water. To date a number of different solutions exist:
•A mono pile (single column) base, six meters in diameter, is used in waters up
to 30 meters deep.
•Gravity Base Structures, for use at exposed sites in water 20– 80 m deep.
•Tripod piled structures, in water 20–80 metres deep.
•Tripod suction caisson structures, in water 20-80m deep.
•Conventional steel jacket structures, as used in the oil and gas industry, in
water 20-80m deep.
•Floating wind turbines are being developed for deeper water.

Maintenance
•Turbines are much less accessible when offshore (requiring the use of a service
vessel or helicopter for routine access, and a jackup rig for heavy service such as
gearbox replacement), and thus reliability is more important than for an onshore
turbine.
•Some farms inspect the blades of three turbines per day by photographing them
from the mono pile through a 600mm lens, avoiding to go up. Others use camera
drones.
•Because of their remote nature, prognosis and health-monitoring systems on
offshore wind turbines will become much more necessary.
 Environmental impact of wind power

While the offshore wind industry has grown dramatically over the last several
decades, especially in Europe, there is still a great deal of uncertainty associated
with how the construction and operation of these wind farms affect marine animals
and the marine environment.

Common environmental concerns associated with offshore wind developments

include:

•The risk of seabirds being struck by wind turbine blades or being displaced from
critical habitats;
•The underwater noise associated with the installation process of driving
monopile turbines into the seabed;
•The physical presence of offshore wind farms altering the behavior of marine
mammals, fish, and seabirds with attraction or avoidance;
•The potential disruption of the nearfield and farfield marine environment from
large offshore wind projects.
 Economics and benefits
A report from a coalition of researchers from universities, industry, and
government, lays out several things needed in order to bring the costs down and
make offshore wind more economically viable:

•Improving wind performance models, including how design conditions and the
wind resource are influenced by the presence of other wind farms.
•Reducing the weight of turbine materials
•Eliminating problematic gearboxes
•Turbine load-mitigation controls and strategies
•Turbine and rotor designs to minimize hurricane and typhoon damage
•Economic modeling and optimization of costs of the overall wind farm system,
including installation, operations, and maintenance
•Service methodologies, remote monitoring, and diagnostics.
 Transport of Wind-Generated Energy
•All of the power generated by the wind turbines needs to be transmitted to shore
and connected to the power grid.
•Each turbine is connected to an electric service platform (ESP) by a power cable.
•The ESP is typically located somewhere within the turbine array, and it serves as a
common electrical collection point for all the wind turbines and as a substation.
•In addition, ESP’s can be outfitted to function as a central service facility, and may
include a helicopter landing pad, communications station, crew quarters, and
emergency backup equipment.
•After collecting the power from the wind turbines, high voltage cables running from
the ESP transmit the power to an onshore substation, where the power is integrated
into the grid.
•The cables used for these projects are typically buried beneath the seabed, where
they are safe from damage caused by anchors or fishing gear and to reduce their
exposure to the marine environment.
•These types of cables are expensive, and are a major capital cost to the developer.
•The amount of cable used depends on many factors, including how far offshore the
project is located, the spacing between turbines, the presence of obstacles that
require cables to be routed in certain directions, and other considerations.
The MPV Willem De Vlamingh will be working installing cable
connecting the Northwind offshore wind farm

CPNL Provides Cable Protection for German

Installation start of inner park cabling for Offshore Wind Farm
offshore wind farm Sandbank
An Electric Service
Platform (ESP) for an
offshore wind facility.
Source: Mike Robinson, Walt Musial, National Wind Technology Center National Renewable Energy Laboratory
 End of Chapter 3

Thank you