Unit 3 - Wind Energy Notes NEW
Unit 3 - Wind Energy Notes NEW
Introduction
Wind power or wind energy is the use of wind to provide the mechanical power through wind
turbines to operate electric generators. Wind power is a sustainable and renewable energy. Wind possesses
energy by virtue of its motion. Any device capable of slowing down the mass of moving air, like a sail or
propeller, can extract part of the energy and convert it into useful work. The spinning blades, attached to a
hub and a low-speed shaft, turn along with the blades. The rotating low-speed shaft is connected to a
gearbox that connects to a high-speed shaft on the opposite side of the gearbox. This high-speed shaft
connects to an electrical generator that converts the mechanical energy from the rotation of the blades into
electrical energy. The key characteristics of a good wind power site are high average wind speed, sufficient
separation from noise-sensitive neighbours, good grid connection, good site access, No special
environmental or landscape designations. The integration of wind into grid has certain challenges like,
Variability, Uncertainty, Location-specificity, Nonsynchronous generation, Low capacity factor.
Windmills: People have been using windmills for centuries to grind grain, pump water, and do other work.
Windmills generate mechanical energy, but they do not generate electricity.
Wind Turbines: In contrast to windmills, modern wind turbines are highly evolved machines with more
than 8,000 parts that harness wind's kinetic energy and convert it into electricity.
Wind farm: Oftentimes a large number of wind turbines are built close together, which is referred to as a
wind project or wind farm. A wind farm functions as a single power plant and sends electricity to the grid.
Windmills have been in use since 2000 B.C. and were first developed in Persia and China. Ancient
mariners sailed to distant lands by making use of winds. Farmers used wind power to pump water
and for grinding grains. Today the most popular use of wind energy is converting it to electrical
energy to meet the critical energy needs of the planet.
Power in the Wind
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Wind results from the movement of air due to atmospheric pressure gradients. Wind flows from
regions of higher pressure to regions of lower pressure. The larger the atmospheric pressure gradient, the
higher the wind speed and thus, the greater the wind power that can be captured from the wind by means of
wind energy converting machinery. The generation and movement of wind are complicated due to a number
of factors. Among them, the most important factors are uneven solar heating, the Coriolis effect due to the
earth‘s self-rotation, and local geographical conditions.
Second, the earth‘s self-rotating axis has a tilt of about 23.5° with respect to its ecliptic plane. It is
the tilt of the earth‘s axis during the revolution around the sun that results in cyclic uneven heating, causing
the yearly cycle of seasonal weather changes.
Third, the earth‘s surface is covered with different types of materials such as vegetation, rock, sand,
water, ice/snow, etc., Each of these materials has different reflecting and absorbing rates to solar radiation,
leading to high temperature on some areas (e.g. deserts) and low temperature on others (e.g. iced lakes),
even at the same latitudes.
The fourth reason for uneven heating of solar radiation is due to the earth‘s topographic surface.
There are a large number of mountains, valleys, hills, etc. on the earth, resulting in different solar radiation
on the sunny and shady sides.
Coriolis effect
The earth‘s self-rotation is another important factor to affect wind direction and speed. The Coriolis
force, which is generated from the earth's self-rotation, deflects the direction of atmospheric movements. In
the north atmosphere wind is deflected to the right and in the south atmosphere to the left. The Coriolis force
depends on the earth‘s latitude; it is zero at the equator and reaches maximum values at the poles. In
addition, the amount of deflection on wind also depends on the wind speed; slowly blowing wind is
deflected only a small amount, while stronger wind is deflected more.
In large-scale atmospheric movements, the combination of the pressure gradient due to the uneven
solar radiation and the Coriolis force due to the earth‘s self rotation causes the single meridional cell to
break up into three convectional cells in each hemisphere: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, and the Polar cell
as shown in Fig.2. Each cell has its own characteristic circulation pattern. In the Northern Hemisphere, the
Hadley cell circulation lies between the equator and north latitude 30°, dominating tropical and sub-tropical
climates. The hot air rises at the equator and flows toward the North Pole in the upper atmosphere. This
moving air is deflected by Coriolis force to create the northeast trade winds. At approximately north latitude
30°, Coriolis force becomes so strong to balance the pressure gradient force. As a result, the winds are
defected to the west.
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The air accumulated at the upper atmosphere forms the subtropical high-pressure belt and thus sinks
back to the earth‘s surface, splitting into two components: one returns to the equator to close the loop of the
Hadley cell; another moves along the earth‘s surface toward North Pole to form the Ferrel Cell circulation,
which lies between north latitude 30° and 60°. The air circulates towards the North Pole along the earth‘s
surface until it collides with the cold air flowing from the North Pole at approximately north latitude 60°.
Under the influence of Coriolis force, the moving air in this zone is deflected to produce westerlies. The
Polar cell circulation lies between the North Pole and north latitude 60°. The cold air sinks down at the
North Pole and flows along the earth‘s surface toward the equator. Near north latitude 60°, the Coriolis
effect becomes significant to force the airflow to southwest.
Local geography
The roughness on the earth‘s surface is a result of both natural geography and manmade structures.
Frictional drag and obstructions near the earth‘s surface generally retard with wind speed and induce a
phenomenon known as wind shear. The rate at which wind speed increases with height varies on the basis of
local conditions of the topography, terrain, and climate, with the greatest rates of increases observed over the
roughest terrain. A reliable approximation is that wind speed increases about 10% with each doubling of
height. In addition, some special geographic structures can strongly enhance the wind intensity. For instance,
wind that blows through mountain passes can form mountain jets with high speeds.
Most of the modern wind turbines have 3 blades which can reach speeds at the tip of over 320 kph
(200 mph).
Wind power
Kinetic energy exists whenever an object of a given mass is in motion with a translational or
rotational speed. When air is in motion, the kinetic energy in moving air can be determined as
1 2
Ek = mu (1)
2
where m is the air mass and u is the mean wind speed over a suitable time period. The wind power can be
obtained by differentiating the kinetic energy in wind with respect to time, i.e.:
dE 1
P = k = mu 2 (2)
w
dt 2
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However, only a small portion of wind power can be converted into electrical power. When wind
passes through a wind turbine and drives blades to rotate, the corresponding wind mass flowrate is
m = ρAu (3)
where ρ is the air density and A is the swept area of blades, as shown in Fig. 3 . Substituting (3) into (2), the
available power in wind Pw can be expressed as
1
Pw = ρAu
3
(4)
2
An examination of eqn (4) reveals that in order to obtain a higher wind power, it requires a higher
wind speed, a longer length of blades for gaining a larger swept area, and a higher air density. Because the
wind power output is proportional to the cubic power of the mean wind speed, a small variation in wind
speed can result in a large change in wind power.
Air density
Another important parameter that directly affects the wind power generation is the density of air,
which can be calculated from the equation of state:
p
ρ= (6)
RT
where p is the local air pressure, R is the gas constant (287 J/kg-K for air), and T is the local air temperature
in K.
The hydrostatic equation states that whenever there is no vertical motion, the difference in pressure
between two heights is caused by the mass of the air layer:
dp = -ρg dz (7)
where g is the acceleration of gravity. Combining eqns (6) and (7), yields
dp g
=- dz (8)
p RT
The acceleration of gravity g decreases with the height above the earth‘s surface z:
g = g 1 - 4z
D
(9)
0
where g0 is the acceleration of gravity at the ground and D is the diameter of the earth. However, for the
acceleration of gravity g, the variation in height can be ignored because D is much larger than 4z.
In addition, temperature is inversely proportional to the height. Assume that dT /dz = c, it can be derived that
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-g/cR
T
p = p0 (10)
T0
where p0 and T0 are the air pressure and temperature at the ground, respectively.
Combining eqns (6) and (10), it gives
-(g/cR+1) -(g/cR+1)
T cz
ρ = ρ0 = ρ0 1+ (11)
T0 T0
This equation indicates that the density of air decreases nonlinearly with the height above the sea level.
The largest wind turbine in the world is located in US in Hawaii. It stands 20 stories tall and has
blades the length of a football field.
Wind power density
Wind Power Density (WPD) is a quantitative measure of wind energy available at any location. It is the
mean annual power available per square meter of swept area of a turbine, and is calculated for different
heights above ground. Some of the wind resource assessments utilize 50m towers with sensors installed at
intermediate levels (10 m, 20 m, etc.). For large-scale wind plants, class rating of 4 or higher is preferred.
Calculation of wind power density includes the effect of wind velocity and air density.
Because there are various aerodynamic losses in wind turbine systems, for instance, blade-tip, blade-root,
profile, and wake rotation losses, etc., the real power coefficient Cp is much lower than its theoretical limit,
usually ranging from 30 to 45%.
Electric efficiency ηele – It encompasses all combined electric power losses in the converter,
switches, controls, and cables.
Therefore, the total power conversion efficiency from wind to electricity η t is the production of these
parameters, i.e.:
ηt = Cp ηgear ηgen ηele (13)
The effective power output from a wind turbine to feed into a grid becomes
Peff = Cp ηgear ηgen ηelePw = ηtPw = 1 η ρAu3 (14)
2 t
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Lanchester–Betz limit
The Betz limit is the theoretical maximum efficiency for a wind turbine, conjectured by German physicist
Albert Betz in 1919. Betz concluded that this value is 59.3%, meaning that atmost only 59.3% of the kinetic
energy from wind can be used to spin the turbine and generate electricity. In reality, turbines cannot reach
the Betz limit, and common efficiencies are in the 35-45% range. If a wind turbine was 100% efficient, then
all of the wind would have to stop completely upon contact with the turbine which is not practically
possible.
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drag-based windmill that you can make at home. It works because the drag of the open, or concave, face of
the cylinder is greater than the drag on the closed or convex section.
Lift-based Wind Turbines
More energy can be extracted from wind using lift rather than drag, but this requires specially shaped
airfoil surfaces, like those used on airplane wings. The airfoil shape is designed to create a differential
pressure between the upper and lower surfaces, leading to a net force in the direction perpendicular to the
wind direction. Rotors of this type must be carefully oriented (the orientation is referred to as the rotor
pitch), to maintain their ability to harness the power of the wind as wind speed changes.
Cumulative installed capacity of wind power (as on 31.10.2019) in India is 37,090.03 MW.
Hybrid Wind Power Plants
Wind is not fully reliable so we cannot depend on wind alone for generation of power. The best bet
would be to combine a wind power plant with some other renewable source of energy, like solar energy.
That would be certainly a better idea and you can imagine that when there is a lot of heat, the solar
generators would do their job and when the sky is overcast and winds are blowing, the wind power plants
would take over. Such an arrangement is known as hybrid arrangement and is useful in regions where there
is a lot of heat and wind.
Wind Farms
As the name itself suggests, a wind farm is a collection of wind turbines which collectively power a
given area or utility harnessing the wind force in a collective manner thereby amplifying the effect of a
single unit.
These configurations are used at various locations depending on the conditions of the region and the
presence of other sources of electrical supply. An optimum mix would consist of an ingenious combination
of the various sources in the best possible manner.
HAWT Advantage
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 move perpendicular to the wind, receiving power through
the whole rotation.
HAWT Disadvantages
Massive tower construction is required to support the heavy blades, gearbox, and generator.
Components of horizontal axis wind turbine (gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly) being lifted
into position.
Their height makes them obtrusively visible across large areas, disrupting the appearance of the
landscape and sometimes creating local opposition.
Download 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.
HAWTs generally require a braking or yawing device in high winds to stop the turbine from
spinning and destroying or damaging itself.
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VAWT Advantages
No yaw mechanisms is needed
A VAWT can be located nearer the ground, making it easier to maintain the moving parts.
VAWTs have lower wind startup speeds than the typical HAWTs.
VAWTs may be built at locations where taller structures are prohibited.
VAWTs situated close to the ground can take advantage of locations where rooftops, means hilltops,
ridgelines, and passes funnel the wind and increase wind velocity.
VAWT Disadvantage
In contrast to HAWT, all vertical axis wind turbines, and most proposed airborne wind turbine
designs, involve various types of reciprocating actions, requiring airfoil surfaces to the wind leads to
inherently lower efficiency.
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Most VAWTs have an average decreased efficiency from a common HAWT, mainly because of the
additional drag that they have as their blades rotate into the wind. Versions that reduce drag produce
more energy, especially those that funnel wind into the collector area.
Having rotors located close to the ground where wind speeds are lower and do not take advantage of
higher wind speeds above.
Because VAWTs are not commonly deployed due mainly to the serious disadvantage mentioned
above, they appear novel to those not familiar with the wind industry. This has often made them the
subject of wild claims and investment scams over the last 50 years.
Tamil Nadu with 9231.77 MW of installed wind capacity is well ahead of the rest and second
positioned Gujarat which has 7203.77 MW of wind generation capacity.
VAWT Subtypes
Darrieus Wind Turbine
Darrieus turbine has long, thin blades in the shape of loops connected to the top and bottom of the
axle; it is often called an ―eggbeater windmill‖ as shown in fig. 6. It is named after the French engineer
Georges Darrieus who patented the design in 1931. (It was manufactured by the US company FLoWind
which went bankrupt in 1997). The Darrieus turbine is characterized by its C-shaped rotor blades which give
it its eggbeater appearance. It is normally built with two or three blades.
Darrieus wind turbines are commonly called ―Eggbeater‖ turbines, because they look like a giant
eggbeater. They have good efficiency, but produce large torque ripple and cyclic stress on the tower, which
contributes to poor reliability. Also, they generally require some external power source, or an additional
savonius rotor, to start turning, because the starting torque is very low. The torque ripple is reduced by using
three or more blades which results in a higher solidity for the rotor. Solidity is measured by blade area over
the rotor area. Newer Darrieus type turbines are not help up by guy-wires but have an external superstructure
connected to the top bearing.
The tip speed ratio (TSR) indicates the rotating velocity of the turbines to the velocity of the wind. In
this case, the TSR has a higher value than 1, meaning that the velocity rotation here is greater than the
velocity of wind and generates less torque. This makes Darrieus turbines excellent electricity generators.
The turbine blades have to be reinforced in order to sustain the centrifugal forces generated during rotation,
but the generator itself accepts a lower amount of force than the Savorius type. A drawback to the Darrieus
wind turbines is the fact that they cannot start rotation on their own. A small motor, or another Savonius
turbine, maybe needed to initiate rotation.
Advantages
The rotor shaft is vertical. Therefore it is possible to place the load, like a generator or a centrifugal
pump at ground level. As the generator housing is not rotating, the cable to the load is not twisted
and no brushes are requires for large twisting angles.
The rotor can take wind from every direction.
The visual acceptation for placing of the windmill on a building might be larger than for an
horizontal axis windmill.
Easily integrates into buildings.
Disadvantages
Difficult start unlike the Savonius wind turbine.
Low efficiency.
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Drag type wind turbines such as the Savonius turbine are less efficient at using the wind‘s energy
than lift-type wind turbines, which are the ones commonly used in wind farms. A Savonius is a drag type
turbine, they are commonly used in cases of high reliability in many things such as ventilation and
anemometers. Because they are a drag type turbine they are less efficiency than the common HAWT.
Savonius are excellent in areas of turbulent wind and self starting.
Advantages
Having a vertical axis, the Savonius turbine continues to work effectively even if the wind changes
direction.
Because the Savonius design works well even at low wind speeds, there‘s no need for a tower or
other expensive structure to hold it in place, greatly reducing the initial setup cost.
The device is quiet, easy to build, and relatively small.
Because the turbine is close to the ground, maintenance is easy.
Disadvantages
The scoop system used to capture the wind‘s energy is half as efficient as a conventional turbine,
resulting in less power generation.
Mupandal wind farm in Tamilnadu with 3000 turbines and total nominal power of 1,500,000 kW
is India’s largest Onshore wind farm
Components of WPPs
There are three categories of components: mechanical, electrical, and control. The following is a
brief description of the main components:
The tower is the physical structure that holds the wind turbine. It supports the rotor, nacelle, blades,
and other wind turbine equipment. Typical commercial wind towers are usually 50–120 m long and
they are constructed from concrete or reinforced steel.
Blades are physical structures, which are aerodynamically optimized to help capture the maximum
power from the wind in normal operation with a wind speed in the range of about 3–15 m/s. Each
blade is usually 20m or more in length, depending on the power level.
The nacelle is the enclosure of the wind turbine generator, gearbox and internal equipment. It
protects the turbine‘s internal components from the surrounding environment.
The rotor is the rotating part of the wind turbine. It transfers the energy in the wind to the shaft. The
rotor hub holds the wind turbine blades while connected to the gearbox via the low-speed shaft.
Pitch is the mechanism of adjusting the angle of attack of the rotor blades. Blades are turned in their
longitudinal axis to change the angle of attack according to the wind directions.
The shaft is divided into two types: low and high speed. The low-speed shaft transfers mechanical
energy from the rotor to the gearbox, while the high-speed shaft transfers mechanical energy from
gearbox to generator.
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Yaw is the horizontal moving part of the turbine. It turns clockwise or anticlockwise to face the
wind. The yaw has two main parts: the yaw motor and the yaw drive. The yaw drive keeps the rotor
facing the wind when the wind direction varies. The yaw motor is used to move the yaw.
The brake is a mechanical part connected to the high-speed shaft in order to reduce the rotational
speed or stop the wind turbine over speeding or during emergency conditions.
Gearbox is a mechanical component that is used to increase or decrease the rotational speed. In wind
turbines, the gearbox is used to control the rotational speed of the generator.
The generator is the component that converts the mechanical energy from the rotor to electrical
energy. The most common electrical generators used in wind turbines are induction generators (IGs),
doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs), and permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs).
The controller is the brain of the wind turbine. It monitors constantly the condition of the wind
turbine and controls the pitch and yaw systems to extract optimum power from the wind.
Anemometer is a type of sensor that is used to measure the wind speed. The wind speed information
may be necessary for maximum power tracking and protection in emergency cases.
The wind vane is a type of sensor that is used to measure the wind direction. The wind direction
information is important for the yaw control system to operate.
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The purpose of pitch control is to maintain the optimum blade angle to achieve certain rotor speeds
or power output. You can use pitch adjustment to stall and furl, two methods of pitch control. By stalling a
wind turbine, you increase the angle of attack, which causes the flat side of the blade to face further into the
wind. Furling decreases the angle of attack, causing the edge of the blade to face the oncoming wind. Pitch
angle adjustment is the most effective way to limit output power by changing aerodynamic force on the
blade at high wind speeds. This maintains the turbine‘s safety in the event of high winds, loss of electrical
load, or other catastrophic events.
Yaw refers to the rotation of the entire wind turbine in the horizontal axis. Yaw control ensures that
the turbine is constantly facing into the wind to maximize the effective rotor area and, as a result, power.
Because wind direction can vary quickly, the turbine may misalign with the oncoming wind and cause
power output losses.
Siting of WPPs
The power available in the wind increases rapidly with the speed, hence wind energy conversion
machines should be located preferable in areas where the winds are strong and persistent. Although daily
winds at a given site may be highly variable, the monthly and especially annual average are remarkably
constant from year to year.
The major contribution to the wind power available at a given site is actually made by winds with
speeds above the average. Nevertheless, the most suitable sites for wind turbines would be found in areas
where the annual average wind speeds are known to be moderately high or high.
The site choice for a single or a spatial array of WECS is an important matter when wind electrics is looked
at from the systems point of view of aero turbine generators feeding power into a conventional electric grid.
If the WECS sites are wrongly or poorly chosen the net wind electrics generated energy per year may be sub
optimal with resulting high capital cost for the WECS apparatus, high costs for wind generated electric
energy, and low Returns on Investment. Even if the WECS is to be a small generator not tied to the electric
grid, the siting must be carefully chosen if inordinately long break even times are to be avoided. Technical,
economic, environmental, social and other factors are examined before a decision is made to erect a
generating plant on a specific site. Some of the main site selection consideration are given below:
1. High annual average wind speed
2. Availability of anemometry data
3. Availability of wind V(t) Curve at the proposed site
4. Wind structure at the proposed site
5. Altitude of the proposed site
6. Terrain and its aerodynamic
7. Local Ecology
8. Distance to road or railways
9. Nearness of site to local centre/users
10. Nature of ground
11. Favourable land cost
1. High annual average wind speed: The speed generated by the wind mill depends on cubic values of
velocity of wind, the small increases in velocity markedly affect the power in the wind. For example,
Doubling the velocity, increases power by a factor of 8. It is obviously desirable to select a site for
WECS with high wind velocity. Thus a high average wind velocity is the principle fundamental
parameter of concern in initially appraising WESCS site. For more detailed estimate value, one would
like to have the average of the velocity cubed.
2. Availability of anemometry data: It is another improvement sitting factor. The anemometry data
should be available over some time period at the precise spot where any proposed WECS is to be built
and that this should be accomplished before a sitting decision is made.
3. Availability of wind V(t) Curve at the proposed site: This important curve determines the maximum
energy in the wind and hence is the principle initially controlling factor in predicting the electrical
output and hence revenue return o the WECS machines.
It is desirable to have average wind speed ‗V‘ such that V>=12-16 km/hr (3.5 – 4.5 m/sec) which is
about the lower limit at which present large scale WECS generators ‗cut in‘ i.e., start turning. The V(t)
Curve also determines the reliability of the delivered WECS generator power, for if the V(t) curve goes
to zero there be no generated power during that time.
If there are long periods of calm the WECS reliability will be lower than if the calm periods are short. In
making such reliability estimates it is desirable to have measured V(t) Curve over about a 5 year period
for the highest confidence level in the reliability estimate.
4. Wind structure at the proposed site: The ideal case for the WECS would be a site such that the V(t)
Curve was flat, i.e., a smooth steady wind that blows all the time; but a typical site is always less than
ideal. Wind specially near the ground is turbulent and gusty, and changes rapidly in direction and in
velocity. This departure from homogeneous flow is collectively referred to as ―the structure of the
wind‖.
5. Altitude of the proposed site: It affects the air density and thus the power in the wind and hence the
useful WECS electric power output. Also, as is well known, the wind tend to have higher velocities at
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higher altitudes. One must be carefully to distinguish altitude from height above ground. They are not
the same except for a sea level WECS site.
6. Terrain and its aerodynamic: One should know about terrain of the site to be chosen. If the WECS is
to be placed near the top but not on the top of a not too blunt hill facing the prevailing wind, then it may
be possible to obtain a ‗speed-up‘ of the wind velocity over what it would otherwise be. Also the wind
here may not flow horizontal making it necessary to tip the axis of the rotor so that the aeroturbine is
always perpendicular to the actual wind flow.
It may be possible to make use of hills or mountains which channel the prevailing wind into a pass
region, thereby obtaining higher wind power.
7. Local Ecology: If the surface is base rock it may mean lower hub height hence lower structure cost. If
trees or grass or vegetation are present, all of which tend to destructure the wind, the higher hub heights
will be needed resulting in larges system costs that the bare ground case.
8. Distance to road or railways: This is another factor the system engineer must consider for heavy
machinery, structure, materials, blades and other apparatus will have to be moved into any choosen
WECS site.
9. Nearness of site to local centre/users: This obvious criterion minimizes transmission line length and
hence losses and cost. After applying all the previous string criteria, hopefully as one narrows the
proposed WECS sites to one or two they would be relatively near to the user of the generated electric
energy.
10. Nature of ground: Ground condition should be such that the foundation for a WECS are secured.
Ground surface should be stable. Erosion problem should not be there, as it could possibly later wash
out the foundation of a WECS, destroying the whole system.
11. Favourable land cost: Land cost should be favourable as this along with other siting costs, enters into
the total WECS system cost.
12. Other conditions such as icing problem, salt spray or blowing dust should not present at the site,
as they may affect aeroturbine blades or environmental is generally adverse to machinery and electrical
apparatus.
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The cost of a single 225 KW or 250 KW which is widely preferred is about Rs. 1 Crore.
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Flexible VRE: New technology enables wind turbines to "provide the full spectrum of balancing
services (synthetic inertial control, primary frequency control, and automatic generation control),"
and both wind turbines and solar panels can now offer voltage control.
Interconnected transmission networks: Wind and solar resources become less variable if
aggregated across a broader region. The bigger the geographical area linked up by power lines, the
more likely it is that the sun is shining or the wind is blowing somewhere within that area.
Grid Integration of wind farms and Power Quality Issues
The issue of power quality is of great importance to the wind turbines. The critical power quality
issues related to integration of wind farms are discussed below.
1. Issue of voltage variation: If a large proportion of the grid load is supplied by wind turbines, the output
variations due to wind speed changes can cause voltage variation, flicker effects in normal operation.
The voltage variation can occur in specific situation, as a result of load changes, and power produce
from turbine.
2. Issue of voltage dips: It is a sudden reduction in the voltage to a value between 1% & 90 % of the
nominal value after a short period of time, conventionally 1ms to 1min. This problem is considered in
the power quality and wind turbine generating system operation and computed according to the rule
given in IEC 61400-3-7 standard, ―Assessment of emission limit for fluctuating load‖.
3. Switching operation of wind turbine on the grid: Switching operations of wind turbine generating
system can cause voltage fluctuations and thus voltage sag, voltage swell that may cause significant
voltage variation. The acceptances of switching operation depend not only on grid voltage but also on
how often this may occur. The maximum number of above specified switching operation within 10-
minute period and 2-hr period are defined in IEC 61400-3-7 Standard.
4. Harmonics: The harmonics voltage and current should be limited to acceptable level at the point of
wind turbine connection in the system. This fact has lead to more stringent requirements regarding
power quality, such as Standard IEC 61000-3-2 or IEEE-519.
5. Flickers: Flicker is the one of the important power quality aspects in wind turbine generating system.
Flicker has widely been considered as a serious drawback and may limit for the maximum amount of
wind power generation that can be connected to the grid. Flicker is induced by voltage fluctuations,
which are caused by load flow changes in the grid. The flicker emission produced by grid-connected
variable-speed wind turbines with full-scale back-to-back converters during continuous operation and
mainly caused by fluctuations in the output power due to wind speed variations, the wind shear, and the
tower shadow effects.
6. Reactive power: Traditional wind turbines are equipped with induction generators. Induction generator
is preferred because they are inexpensive, rugged and requires little maintenance. Unfortunately
induction generators require reactive power from the grid to operate. The interactions between wind
turbine and power system network are important aspect of wind generation system.
7. Location of wind turbine: The way of connecting wind turbine into the electric power system highly
influences the impact of the wind turbine generating system on the power quality. As a rule, the impact
on power quality at the consumer‘s terminal for the wind turbine generating system (WTGS) located
close to the load is higher than WTGS connected away, that is connected to H.V. or EHV system.
8. Low voltage ride through capability: The impact of the wind generation on the power system will no
longer be negligible if high penetration levels are going to be reached. The extent to which wind power
can be integrated into the power system without affecting the overall stable operation depends on the
technology available to mitigate the possible negative impacts such as loss of generation for frequency
support, voltage flicker, voltage and power variation due to the variable speed of the wind and the risk
of instability due to lower degree of controllability.
9. IEC recommendation: For consistent and replicable documentation of power quality characteristic of
wind turbine, the international Electro-technical Commission IEC-61400-21 was developed and today,
most of the large wind turbine manufactures provide power quality characteristic data accordingly. IEC
61400-21 describe the procedures for determine the power quality characteristics of wind turbines.
Voltage dips ≤ 3%
Flicker ≤ 0.4, for average time of 2 hours
Grid frequency 47.5-51.5 Hz
20