Understanding Wind Power Technology

Wind energy technology has progressed enormously over the last
decade. In coming years it will continue to develop in terms of
power ratings, performance and installed capacity of large wind
turbines worldwide, with exciting developments in offshore
installations.

Designed to meet the training needs of wind engineers, this
introductory text puts wind energy in context, from the natural
resource to the assessment of cost effectiveness and bridges the
gap between theory and practice. The thorough coverage spans the
scientific basics, practical implementations and the modern state
of technology used in onshore and offshore wind farms for
electricity generation.

Key features:

• provides in-depth treatment of all systems associated with wind
  energy, including the aerodynamic and structural aspects of blade
  design, the flow of energy and loads through the wind turbine, the
  electrical components and power electronics including control
  systems

• explains the importance of wind resource assessment techniques,
  site evaluation and ecology with a focus of project planning and
  operation

• describes the integration of wind farms into the electric grid
  and includes a whole chapter dedicated to offshore wind
  farms

• includes questions in each chapter for readers to test their
  knowledge

Written by experts with deep experience in research, teaching
and industry, this text conveys the importance of wind energy in
the international energy-policy debate, and offers clear insight
into the subject for postgraduates and final year undergraduate
students studying all aspects of wind engineering. Understanding
Wind Power Systems is also an authoritative resource for
engineers designing and developing wind energy systems, energy
policy makers, environmentalists, and economists in the renewable
energy sector.

Autorentext

Professor Alois Schaffarczyk, Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Kiel, Germany

Professor Schaffarczyk is a founding member and previous manager of CEwind eG, the consortium for wind energy research between Schleswig-Holstein's Universities in Germany. He has worked in the field of wind turbine aerodynamics since 1997 and currently teaches courses in the CEwind MSc. Wind Engineering program.

Klappentext

Wind energy technology has progressed enormously over the last decade. In coming years it will continue to develop in terms of power ratings, performance and installed capacity of large wind turbines worldwide, with exciting developments in offshore installations.

Designed to meet the training needs of wind engineers, this introductory text puts wind energy in context, from the natural resource to the assessment of cost effectiveness and bridges the gap between theory and practice. The thorough coverage spans the scientific basics, practical implementations and the modern state of technology used in onshore and offshore wind farms for electricity generation.

Key features:

• provides in-depth treatment of all systems associated with wind energy, including the aerodynamic and structural aspects of blade design, the flow of energy and loads through the wind turbine, the electrical components and power electronics including control systems
• explains the importance of wind resource assessment techniques, site evaluation and ecology with a focus of project planning and operation
• describes the integration of wind farms into the electric grid and includes a whole chapter dedicated to offshore wind farms
• includes questions in each chapter for readers to test their knowledge Written by experts with deep experience in research, teaching and industry, this text conveys the importance of wind energy in the international energy-policy debate, and offers clear insight into the subject for postgraduates and final year undergraduate students studying all aspects of wind engineering. Understanding Wind Power Systems is also an authoritative resource for engineers designing and developing wind energy systems, energy policy makers, environmentalists, and economists in the renewable energy sector.

Inhalt
Preface xiii About the Authors xiv

1 The History of Wind Energy 1
Jos Beurskens

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 The First Windmills: 6001890 2

1.2.1 Technical Development of the First Horizontal Windmills 5

1.3 Generation of Electricity using Wind Farms: Wind Turbines 18901930 10

1.4 The First Phase of Innovation: 19301960 16

1.5 The Second Phase of Innovation and Mass Production: 1960 to Today 25

1.5.1 The State-Supported Development of Large Wind Turbines 28

1.5.2 The Development of Smaller Wind Turbines 36

1.5.3 Wind Farms, Offshore and Grid Connection 38

1.5.4 International Grids 41

1.5.5 To Summarise 43

References 43

2 The International Development of Wind Energy 45
Klaus Rave

2.1 The Modern Energy Debate 45

2.2 The Reinvention of the Energy Market 48

2.3 The Importance of the Power Grid 50

2.4 The New Value-added Chain 53

2.5 International Perspectives 55

2.6 Expansion into Selected Countries 58

2.7 The Role of the EU 59

2.8 International Institutions and Organisations 61

2.8.1 Scenarios 64

2.9 Global Wind Energy Outlook 2012 The Global View into the Future 65

2.9.1 Development of the Market in Selected Countries 65

2.10 Conclusion 71

References 71

3 Wind Resources, Site Assessment and Ecology 73
Hermann van Radecke

3.1 Introduction 73

3.2 Wind Resources 73

3.2.1 Global Wind Systems and Ground Roughness 73

3.2.2 Topography and Roughness Length 75

3.2.3 Roughness Classes 76

3.2.4 Contour Lines and Obstacles 79

3.2.5 Wind Resources with WAsP, WindPRO, Windfarmer 81

3.2.6 Correlating Wind Potential with Mesoscale Models and Reanalysis Data 84

3.2.7 Wind in the Wind Farm 90

3.2.8 Wind Frequency Distribution 95

3.2.9 Site Classification and Annual Energy Production 96

3.2.10 Reference Yield and Duration of Increased Subsidy 99

3.3 Acoustics 101

3.3.1 The dB(A) Unit 101

3.3.2 Sources of Noise 103

3.3.3 Propagation through the Air 105

3.3.4 Imission Site and Benchmarks 105

3.3.5 Frequency Analysis, Tone Adjustment and Impulse Adjustment 106

3.3.6 Methods of Noise Reduction 106

3.3.7 Regulations for Minimum Distances 107

3.4 Shadow 107

3.5 Turbulence 109

3.5.1 Turbulence from Surrounding Environment 110

3.5.2 Turbulence Attributed to Turbines 111

3.6 Two Comprehensive Software Tools for Planning Wind Farms 111

3.7 Technical Guidelines, Fgw Guidelines and IEC Standards 112

3.8 Environmental Influences Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz (Federal Imission Control Act) and Approval Process 113

3.8.1 German Imission Protection Law (BImSchG) 114

3.8.2 Approval Process 115

3.8.3 Environmental Impact Assessment (Eia) 115

3.8.4 Specific Aspects of the Process 118

3.8.5 Acceptance 121

3.8.6 Monitoring and Clarifying Plant-Specific Data 121

3.9 Example Problems 121

3.10 Solutions to the Problems 123

References 124

4 Aerodynamics and Blade Design 126
Alois Schaffarczyk

4.1 Summary 126

4.2 Horizontal Plants 126

4.2.1 General 126

4.2.2 Basic Aerodynamic Terminology 127

4.3 Integral Momentum Theory 130

4.3.1 Momentum Theory of Wind Turbines: the Betz Limiting Value 130

4.3.2 Changes in Air Density with Temperature and Altitude 132

4.3.3 Influence of the Finite Blade Number 133

4.3.4 Swirl Losses and Local Optimisation of the Blades According to Glauert 134

4.3.5 Losses Due to Profile Drag 136

4.4 Momentum Theory of the Blade Elements 137

4.4.1 The Formulation 137 4.4.2 E...