- Category: Articles
Results of a Patent Landscaping Exercise
To understand the future technology trends in the wind turbine industry it is necessary to gain a historical perspective on the emergence of current trends. Analysis of patent protected innovations in the wind turbine industry can be a powerful indicator of these historical trends. While much anecdotal discussion has taken place on the wind industry patent landscape, a definitive look at that landscape has never been made publicly available, until now. The study methodology will be discussed and the results of the analysis will be shown in several charts. The results indicate that, historically, wind turbine innovation has been directed towards blades, generators and electrical systems because these three areas have been the most problematic for manufacturers when it comes to component reliability. Future technology is most likely to be directed towards improving controls and utilising advanced materials to address the emerging challenges and to eke out every last ounce of performance from the turbines.
By Philip Totaro, Principal, IntelStor, USA
To understand the future technology trends in the wind turbine industry it is necessary to gain a historical perspective on the emergence of current trends. Analysis of patent protected innovations in the wind turbine industry can be a powerful indicator of these historical trends. While much anecdotal discussion has taken place on the wind industry patent landscape, a definitive look at that landscape has never been made publicly available, until now. The study methodology will be discussed and the results of the analysis will be shown in several charts. The results indicate that, historically, wind turbine innovation has been directed towards blades, generators and electrical systems because these three areas have been the most problematic for manufacturers when it comes to component reliability. Future technology is most likely to be directed towards improving controls and utilising advanced materials to address the emerging challenges and to eke out every last ounce of performance from the turbines.
By Philip Totaro, Principal, IntelStor, USA
- Category: Articles
Using Tethered Aircraft to Harvest the Stronger Winds at 400 Metres
Airborne wind energy is a new development in the wind industry. While the regular wind turbine industry is now a mature industry, electricity produced by wind turbines is still not competitive with that produced from fossil fuels. The main problems are the large initial investment associated with the purchase of the wind turbine, and the low capacity factor. The high cost of a wind turbine is caused by the large amount of steel, composites, copper and concrete required for the construction. The low capacity factor is caused by the limited wind resource at 100 metres altitude. Airborne wind energy has the potential to generate power at lower cost and with a higher capacity factor.
By Bas Lansdorp, General Director, Ampyx Power, The Netherlands
Airborne wind energy is a new development in the wind industry. While the regular wind turbine industry is now a mature industry, electricity produced by wind turbines is still not competitive with that produced from fossil fuels. The main problems are the large initial investment associated with the purchase of the wind turbine, and the low capacity factor. The high cost of a wind turbine is caused by the large amount of steel, composites, copper and concrete required for the construction. The low capacity factor is caused by the limited wind resource at 100 metres altitude. Airborne wind energy has the potential to generate power at lower cost and with a higher capacity factor.
By Bas Lansdorp, General Director, Ampyx Power, The Netherlands
- Category: Articles
Designing Electricity Markets with Large Shares of Wind Power
Wind power generation has increased rapidly in the USA over the last few years, and at the end of 2010 there was more than 40,000MW of installed capacity at a national level. Wind power is already having a significant impact on the operation of electricity markets and power systems in areas with high penetration of wind power, such as in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midwest ISO (MISO). A number of challenges arise when integrating wind power into the power system, from transmission planning, resource adequacy and interconnection standards, to dealing with the increased uncertainty and variability in short-term operations.
By Audun Botterud and Jianhui Wang, Decision and Information Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA, and Ricardo J. Bessa and Vladimiro Miranda, INESC Porto LA and Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal
Wind power generation has increased rapidly in the USA over the last few years, and at the end of 2010 there was more than 40,000MW of installed capacity at a national level. Wind power is already having a significant impact on the operation of electricity markets and power systems in areas with high penetration of wind power, such as in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midwest ISO (MISO). A number of challenges arise when integrating wind power into the power system, from transmission planning, resource adequacy and interconnection standards, to dealing with the increased uncertainty and variability in short-term operations.
By Audun Botterud and Jianhui Wang, Decision and Information Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA, and Ricardo J. Bessa and Vladimiro Miranda, INESC Porto LA and Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal
- Category: Articles
A Constant Response to the Grid Code Jungle
With an ever greater share of electricity produced by wind power, the behaviour of wind turbines during grid faults is of critical importance. An increasing number of international grid code specifications require wind turbines to be able to ride through all types of grid faults. Fault ride-through capabilities have come as a result of the large increase in installed wind capacity that feeds into transmission systems, making it necessary for wind generation to stay operational in the event of a network fault. The ultimate objective is to have a wind turbine behave like a conventional power plant. In this article, Lasse Kankainen from The Switch discusses grid codes and fault ride-through requirements in general, and the testing of the company’s full-power converter (FPC) technology.
By Lasse Kankainen, R&D Engineer, The Switch, Finland
With an ever greater share of electricity produced by wind power, the behaviour of wind turbines during grid faults is of critical importance. An increasing number of international grid code specifications require wind turbines to be able to ride through all types of grid faults. Fault ride-through capabilities have come as a result of the large increase in installed wind capacity that feeds into transmission systems, making it necessary for wind generation to stay operational in the event of a network fault. The ultimate objective is to have a wind turbine behave like a conventional power plant. In this article, Lasse Kankainen from The Switch discusses grid codes and fault ride-through requirements in general, and the testing of the company’s full-power converter (FPC) technology.
By Lasse Kankainen, R&D Engineer, The Switch, Finland
- Category: Articles
A New Approach to Deicing Wind Turbines from Base to Blade Tip
When icing brings down a grandmother, a power line or a plane, nobody wants to talk about it because it’s always somebody’s fault. The same is true when icing slows or shuts down a wind turbine. At least no one gets hurt physically, but it still costs lots of money. There is a cold little secret in the world of wind power; turbine blade icing is a problem. I’m new around here, so my evidence is anecdotal. His clues are described in the article in our January/February 2011 issue on page 6.
By Cliff Lyon, Director Corporate Development, IceCode LLC, USA
When icing brings down a grandmother, a power line or a plane, nobody wants to talk about it because it’s always somebody’s fault. The same is true when icing slows or shuts down a wind turbine. At least no one gets hurt physically, but it still costs lots of money. There is a cold little secret in the world of wind power; turbine blade icing is a problem. I’m new around here, so my evidence is anecdotal. His clues are described in the article in our January/February 2011 issue on page 6.
By Cliff Lyon, Director Corporate Development, IceCode LLC, USA
- Category: Articles
Superconductor ‘SeaTitan’ Wind Turbines Represent Quantum Leap in Offshore Wind Power Market
Among the greatest challenges to developing larger wind turbines have been the practical size and weight limitations of the wind turbine generator. The power density advantage of superconductors, however, is now being applied to wind turbine generators to maximise the ‘power per tower’ of multi-megawatt turbines, while at the same time overcoming size and weight barriers – and reducing overall project costs. Utilising superconductor direct drive generators, SeaTitan wind turbines are being designed to produce 10MW or more of power, which would make them the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbines.
By Martin Fischer, Vice President of American Superconductor, General Manager of AMSC Windtec
Among the greatest challenges to developing larger wind turbines have been the practical size and weight limitations of the wind turbine generator. The power density advantage of superconductors, however, is now being applied to wind turbine generators to maximise the ‘power per tower’ of multi-megawatt turbines, while at the same time overcoming size and weight barriers – and reducing overall project costs. Utilising superconductor direct drive generators, SeaTitan wind turbines are being designed to produce 10MW or more of power, which would make them the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbines.
By Martin Fischer, Vice President of American Superconductor, General Manager of AMSC Windtec
- Category: Articles
Tethered Wing Outfitted with Turbines to Harvest Wind Energy
The Makani airborne wind turbine (AWT) converts wind energy into electricity using a tethered wing outfitted with turbines. Like the tip of a conventional wind turbine blade, the wing flies across the sky at many times the speed of the wind. Power is extracted by the wing-mounted turbines and transmitted to the ground through an electrically conductive tether. As the wing is not constrained to rotate about a hub, it can fly at a higher altitude where the wind is stronger and more consistent. This results in a system that can deliver twice the energy of a conventional turbine of equal power rating. Furthermore, due to its low wind performance, the wind regimes in which Makani’s AWT can be economically deployed occur in all 50 states and over 80% of US land area, compared to only 15% for conventional turbines.
The Makani airborne wind turbine (AWT) converts wind energy into electricity using a tethered wing outfitted with turbines. Like the tip of a conventional wind turbine blade, the wing flies across the sky at many times the speed of the wind. Power is extracted by the wing-mounted turbines and transmitted to the ground through an electrically conductive tether. As the wing is not constrained to rotate about a hub, it can fly at a higher altitude where the wind is stronger and more consistent. This results in a system that can deliver twice the energy of a conventional turbine of equal power rating. Furthermore, due to its low wind performance, the wind regimes in which Makani’s AWT can be economically deployed occur in all 50 states and over 80% of US land area, compared to only 15% for conventional turbines.
By Corwin Hardham, Makani Power, USA
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