Wind Energy Pocket Reference

Niels I. Meyer, Peter Hjuler Jensen, Niels Gylling Mortensen, Flemming Oster, David Thorpe, ISES (International Solar Energy Society)

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781317705314
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Renewable Power Resources
• Index: Biological Sciences

Prepared and peer-reviewed by some of the foremost experts in the field, this easy-to-use pocket reference offers a wealth of information relating to wind energy and wind energy technologies.

Topics covered range from wind resources to wind turbines, covering offshore and onshore power, both stand-alone and grid-connected. The book also includes vital information on international economic support schemes and incentives and environmental issues and is peppered throughout with helpful illustrations, equations and explanations. Renewable energy professionals, students and wind energy entrepreneurs amongst others will find a host of answers in this essential book – a practical assimilation of data, fundamentals and guidelines for application.

I. INTRODUCTION

In 1900, wind turbines were typically used for grinding, water pumping and other rural mechanical energy needs. At that time a Danish inventor Poul la Cour at Askov Højskole (Folk High School) made experiments with Dutch wind mills converting them to fast running electricity production turbines. La Cour constructed wind tunnels for the purpose of developing aerodynamically shaped rotor blades.

The wind turbine history is summarized in Table I.1 emphasizing the Danish case as an example. Electrification of rural Danish areas was the motivation behind of the first commercial round of electricity producing turbines. During the Second World War wind energy flowered again followed by post war development of the medium sized Danish Gedser turbine. This turbine was the model for the modern development following the oil crises in the 1970s.

Many studies have estimated the total global wind energy resources. These studies have confirmed that the world's wind resources are extremely large and well distributed across almost any region and country. Lack of resource is therefore unlikely to become a limiting factor in the utilization of wind power for electricity generation. Table I.2 gives estimates of the global wind production potential (Rasmussen and Øster, 1990; BTM Consult ApS, 2007).

Table I.1: Wind Turbine History Focusing on Danish Turbines and Electricity Production

Year	1235–1900	Application	Comments	Regulation
1235–1900	Wind roses, Dutch windmills	Mechanical energy in agriculture	Grinding mills, water pumping etc
1890–1910	Horizontal axis turbines with 3–4 blades	Electricity production	Pioneered by Danish Poul la Cour at Askov Folk High School (Ref. I.1.)	Yawing control
1910–1950	Horizontal axis turbines with 3–4 blades	Electricity production	Pioneered by Danish Poul la Cour at Askov Folk High School (Ref. I.1.)	Yawing control
1910–1950	Horizontal axis, 3 blades. Turbine sizes of up to 5 MW	Electricity production in local power plants	Further developments in Denmark. UK, USA and USSR. Eventually outcompeted by cheap Oil	Spoiler rail for control
1950–1967	Horizontal axis, 3 blades. 200 kW stall controlled Danish Gedser Wind Turbine	Electricity production, utility demonstration prefect	The Gedser Mill (inventor Jons Juul) became the mother of modem Danish wind turbines	Stall control
1974	Start of modem phase of wind power pioneered by Danish manufacturers and developers	Grid-connected electricity production	Increasing turbine capacity from 22 kW in 1975 (inventor Chr. Riisager) Increasing sizes up to 6.5 MW in 2007	Stall or pitch control
1980	Pitch controlled turbines
1991	First offshore wind farm in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea		Eleven 450 kW turbines about 2 km from the shore	Active stall control

Table I.2: Global potential for wind power production (Centre for Renewable Energy Technologies, 2000; European Wind Energy Association and Greenpeace, 2004; Grubb and Meyer, 1993)

Reference	Region	Potential Production	Comments
ETSU, Harwell, UK	Europe	330TWh/year	Conservative estimate
Grubb and Meyer, in Renewable Energy, 1993	World	53,000 TWh/year	Surprisingly the same result as earlier by Grubb and Meyer

1. GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT OF WIND ENERGY

1a. Global development of capacity (onshore and offshore)

1a1. Installed total wind turbine capacity globally

By the end of 2006 more than 74 GW of wind power was installed in the world, of which 48.6 GW or 65% was in Europe. Fig. 1.1 presents the development in global installed wind turbine capacity from 1990 to 2006 and a forecast of the expected future global capacity for the next decade (Danish Energy Agency, 1990). Global total installed capacity rose by an average of more than 25% per year since 2000; the capacity has been increased more than five times since then.

Fig. 1.2 shows the distribution by continents of wind turbine capacity world-wide. Fig. 1.3 (a and b) shows the distribution of installed wind turbines by year and continent.

1a2. Installed capacity offshore

It is expected that an increasing share of the new wind energy capacity in the future will be placed in offshore wind farms, where wind resources compared to conditions on land generally are plentiful and the wind climate less complicated favoring a longer turbine life time. Also any visual inconveniences imposed by large onshore wind turbines are eliminated or reduced. Details are given in Chapter 5.

Fig. 1.1: Installed wind power in the world: Development and forecast. (Ref I.2)

Fig. 1.2: Distribution by continents of wind turbine capacity worldwide.

Fig. 1.3:...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Preface
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• I Introduction