EWEA review of wind energy - ebook

This 198 page ebook was wriiten by the European Wind Energy association. It is a comprehensive review of large and samll scale wind energy including technology, markets, costs and the environment. With many charts and tables.

Introduction The technology volume reviews:

• the wind resource which is the basis of all wind energy developments

• state of the art of European technology

• research and development requirements Resource

In 1995, electricity production in the EU amounted to 2384 TWh. The estimated annual wind potential is 588 TWh (land based resource) which is adequate for a 20% penetration of supply. This excludes the annual offshore resource estimated to be in excess of 2500 TWh. Status of the technology A major achievement of the EU wind industry is that about 10 megawatt scale wind turbines are now commercially available. Cost trends show these latest megawatt machines as competitive although it is now pressing to address the limits of up-scaling and the need for new concepts for large offshore units. Gradual innovation has led to the emergence of variable speed and direct drive designs to complement the established Danish stall regulated concept with geared drive train. Increased wind turbine reliability and the in-roads made into markets world wide mean the future for the technology is bright.

The real benefits of the substantial investment made by the European Commission and the EU member states into research to improve the understanding of wind turbine behaviour, through careful modelling and measurement, is just starting to bear fruit. It must be carefully sustained and is set to play a major role in future technology development. Status of European research and development Extensive measurement and model validation activities have been made possible through funding provided by national and international research programmes such as the EU JOULE programme.

Design tool development is ongoing in areas of wind field representation, rotor aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, aeroelasticity, aerofoil design, and aeroacoustics. There is also considerable potential for further development of wind farm design tools and hardware systems for wind farm management. Key research areas include, lightweight/flexible designs, rotor systems development, aerofoil design, blade materials development, direct drive systems, optimum unit sizing, grid integration, hostile sites, hybrid systems and multi-megawatt design. Harmonised international design standards are being achieved and are crucial to the continuing success of wind technology. The next great leap for the wind energy industry will be in the area of offshore development. The potential for this technology is vast and it requires, and deserves sustained and substantial research and development support.