Trends in the technological development of wind energy generation

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-68
Author(s):  
Samira Yusef Araújo de Falani ◽  
Mario Orestes Aguirre González ◽  
Fernanda M. Barreto ◽  
José Carlos de Toledo ◽  
Ana Lúcia Vitale Torkomian
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
The United States ◽  
Patent Analysis ◽  
World Intellectual Property Organization ◽  
Growth Trend ◽  
The Future

This article presents a global overview of emerging trends of wind energy technology development. The research conducted: a bibliographic review of the methods of technological prospecting and wind energy; a patent analysis, presenting the current panorama of technologies in this sector; and mapping of the technological evolution of wind turbines and a proposal of the future trends. The patent analysis identified 25,644 patent registrations from 2003 to 2012, showing a growth trend primarily in the United States and China, with significant representation of companies such as General Electric and Mitsubishi. As defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), knowledge areas focused on patent application deposits cover mechanical engineering; lighting; heating; weapons; blasting; and electricity. The trends show that wind turbines of the future are likely to be vertical and synchronous with the height of the turbine greater than 194m and rotor diameter greater than 164m, and that the power of a wind turbine will exceed 10 MW. The materials used in the blades will be nanomaterials with the characteristics of low density and high resistance such as graphene. Wind turbine towers will feature a hybrid material, combining steel and concrete.

scholarly journals Assessment of Diurnal Wind Turbine Collision Risk for Grassland Birds on the Southern Great Plains

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Wulff ◽  
Matthew J. Butler ◽  
Warren B. Ballard
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
The United States ◽  
Southern Great Plains ◽  
Flight Height ◽  
Associated Species

Abstract Wind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources in the United States and has the potential to reduce the use of traditional nonrenewable energy. However, there is concern for potential short- and long-term influences on wildlife populations, such as bird collisions with turbine blades, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat avoidance. Bird flight heights are indicative of collision risks, but knowledge of their distributions is limited. Our goal was to examine the diurnal flight heights of bird species to assess which are at greatest risk of collision with wind turbine blades. During October 2008–August 2009, we estimated the flight heights of 66 bird species at a planned wind energy facility on the southern Great Plains. Flight heights were estimated by measuring angle of incline with a clinometer and ground distance with a laser rangefinder. Previous work has been limited to flight height measurements categorized to site-specific rotor swept zone (RSZ) specifications that has resulted in limited applicability to other wind turbine RSZ specifications. Our research is distinctive because it provides more resolution in flight height estimates than those categorized into bins and allows application to wind turbines with different RSZs. We found that the flight heights of six bird species varied among seasons, indicating their risk of collision changed throughout the year. Observations indicated that the average flight heights of 28 bird species were within the potential RSZ (32–124 m above ground level) at our study site and that two species exhibited mean flight heights above the RSZ. Fifteen of those species were wetland-associated species, 7 were raptor or vulture species, and 6 were listed as species of greatest conservation need by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. We observed 14 bird species (1 vulture, 2 raptors, 7 wetland-associated species, and 4 passerines or other species) with greater than 25% of their observed flight heights within the RSZ. Our results indicate that raptors and wetland-associated species are the avian groups at greatest risk of collision with wind turbines due to their diurnal flight heights. However, the resolution of our data will allow assessment of which bird species are at greatest risk of collision for various wind turbine specifications. This information can help guide site assessment and placement for wind energy facilities across the southern Great Plains and help mitigate potential collision impacts on bird species.

SHAPING OF AN AUTONOMOUS POWER SYSTEM FOR GUARANTEED POWER SUPPLY WITH THE PREDOMINANCE WIND ENERGY

2018 ◽  
pp. 28-50
Author(s):  
S. G. Ignatiev ◽  
S. V. Kiseleva
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Diesel Generator ◽  
Average Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Average Wind

Optimization of the autonomous wind-diesel plants composition and of their power for guaranteed energy supply, despite the long history of research, the diversity of approaches and methods, is an urgent problem. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the wind energy characteristics is proposed to shape an autonomous power system for a guaranteed power supply with predominance wind energy. The analysis was carried out on the basis of wind speed measurements in the south of the European part of Russia during 8 months at different heights with a discreteness of 10 minutes. As a result, we have obtained a sequence of average daily wind speeds and the sequences constructed by arbitrary variations in the distribution of average daily wind speeds in this interval. These sequences have been used to calculate energy balances in systems (wind turbines + diesel generator + consumer with constant and limited daily energy demand) and (wind turbines + diesel generator + consumer with constant and limited daily energy demand + energy storage). In order to maximize the use of wind energy, the wind turbine integrally for the period in question is assumed to produce the required amount of energy. For the generality of consideration, we have introduced the relative values of the required energy, relative energy produced by the wind turbine and the diesel generator and relative storage capacity by normalizing them to the swept area of the wind wheel. The paper shows the effect of the average wind speed over the period on the energy characteristics of the system (wind turbine + diesel generator + consumer). It was found that the wind turbine energy produced, wind turbine energy used by the consumer, fuel consumption, and fuel economy depend (close to cubic dependence) upon the specified average wind speed. It was found that, for the same system with a limited amount of required energy and high average wind speed over the period, the wind turbines with lower generator power and smaller wind wheel radius use wind energy more efficiently than the wind turbines with higher generator power and larger wind wheel radius at less average wind speed. For the system (wind turbine + diesel generator + energy storage + consumer) with increasing average speed for a given amount of energy required, which in general is covered by the energy production of wind turbines for the period, the maximum size capacity of the storage device decreases. With decreasing the energy storage capacity, the influence of the random nature of the change in wind speed decreases, and at some values of the relative capacity, it can be neglected.

Simulation of Flow Field on a Large Scale Wind Turbine

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Janajreh ◽  
C. Ghenai
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Capital Costs

Large scale wind turbines and wind farms continue to evolve mounting 94.1GW of the electrical grid capacity in 2007 and expected to reach 160.0GW in 2010 according to World Wind Energy Association. They commence to play a vital role in the quest for renewable and sustainable energy. They are impressive structures of human responsiveness to, and awareness of, the depleting fossil fuel resources. Early generation wind turbines (windmills) were used as kinetic energy transformers and today generate 1/5 of the Denmark’s electricity and planned to double the current German grid capacity by reaching 12.5% by year 2010. Wind energy is plentiful (72 TW is estimated to be commercially viable) and clean while their intensive capital costs and maintenance fees still bar their widespread deployment in the developing world. Additionally, there are technological challenges in the rotor operating characteristics, fatigue load, and noise in meeting reliability and safety standards. Newer inventions, e.g., downstream wind turbines and flapping rotor blades, are sought to absorb a larger portion of the cost attributable to unrestrained lower cost yaw mechanisms, reduction in the moving parts, and noise reduction thereby reducing maintenance. In this work, numerical analysis of the downstream wind turbine blade is conducted. In particular, the interaction between the tower and the rotor passage is investigated. Circular cross sectional tower and aerofoil shapes are considered in a staggered configuration and under cross-stream motion. The resulting blade static pressure and aerodynamic forces are investigated at different incident wind angles and wind speeds. Comparison of the flow field results against the conventional upstream wind turbine is also conducted. The wind flow is considered to be transient, incompressible, viscous Navier-Stokes and turbulent. The k-ε model is utilized as the turbulence closure. The passage of the rotor blade is governed by ALE and is represented numerically as a sliding mesh against the upstream fixed tower domain. Both the blade and tower cross sections are padded with a boundary layer mesh to accurately capture the viscous forces while several levels of refinement were implemented throughout the domain to assess and avoid the mesh dependence.

scholarly journals Tourist Viewshed Externalities and Wind Energy Production

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob R. Fooks ◽  
Kent D. Messer ◽  
Joshua M. Duke ◽  
Janet B. Johnson ◽  
Tongzhe Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Hotel Room ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Large Wind

This study uses an experiment where ferry passengers are sold hotel room “views” to evaluate the impact of wind turbines views on tourists’ vacation experience. Participants purchase a chance for a weekend hotel stay. Information about the hotel rooms was limited to the quality of the hotel and its distance from a large wind turbine, as well as whether or not a particular room would have a view of the turbine. While there was generally a negative effect of turbine views, this did not hold across all participants, and did not seem to be effected by distance or hotel quality.

scholarly journals The Techno-Economic Potential of Offshore Wind Energy with Optimized Future Turbine Designs in Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilara Gulcin Caglayan ◽  
Severin Ryberg ◽  
Heidi Heinrichs ◽  
Jochen Linßen ◽  
Detlef Stolten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Offshore Wind Energy ◽  
The Future ◽  
Turbine Design

Renewable energy sources will play a central role in the sustainable energy systems of the future. Scenario analyses of such hypothesized energy systems require sound knowledge of the techno-economic potential of renewable energy technologies. Although there have been various studies concerning the potential of offshore wind energy, higher spatial resolution, as well as the future design concepts of offshore wind turbines, has not yet been addressed in sufficient detail. Here, we aim to overcome this gap by applying a high spatial resolution to the three main aspects of offshore wind potential analysis, namely ocean suitability, the simulation of wind turbines and cost estimation. A set of constraints is determined that reveal the available areas for turbine placement across Europe’s maritime boundaries. Then, turbine designs specific to each location are selected by identifying turbines with the cheapest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), restricted to capacities, hub heights and rotor diameters of between 3-20 MW, 80-200 m and 80-280 m, respectively. Ocean eligibility and turbine design are then combined to distribute turbines across the available areas. Finally, LCOE trends are calculated from the individual turbine costs, as well as the corresponding capacity factor obtained by hourly simulation with wind speeds from 1980 to 2017. The results of cost-optimal turbine design reveal that the overall potential for offshore wind energy across Europe will constitute nearly 8.6 TW and 40.0 PWh at roughly 7 €ct kWh-1 average LCOE by 2050. Averaged design parameters at national level are provided in an appendix.

Optimized Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT), Phase I

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Zilberman ◽  
Abdelaziz Abu Sbaih ◽  
Ibrahim Hadad
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Power Coefficient ◽  
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine ◽  
Different Types

Abstract Wind energy has become an important resource for the growing demand for clean energy. In 2020 wind energy provided more than 6% of the global electricity demand. It is expected to reach 7% at the end of 2021. The installation growth rate of small wind turbines, though, is relatively slow. The reasons we are interested in the small vertical axis wind turbines are their low noise, environmentally friendly, low installation cost, and capable of being rooftop-mounted. The main goal of the present study is an optimization process towards achieving the optimal cost-effective vertical wind turbine. Thirty wind turbine models were tested under the same conditions in an Azrieli 30 × 30 × 90 cm low-speed wind tunnel at 107,000 Reynolds number. The different types of models were obtained by parametric variations of five basic models, maintaining the same aspect ratio but varying the number of bucket phases, the orientation angles, and the gaps between the vanes. The best performing turbine model was made of one phase with two vanes of non-symmetric bipolynomial profiles that exhibited 0.2 power coefficient, relative to 0.16 and 0.13 that were obtained for symmetrical polynomial and the original Savonius type turbines, respectively. Free rotation, static forces and moments, and dynamic moments and power were measured for the sake of comparison and explanation for the variations in performances of different types of turbines. CFD calculations were used to understand the forces and moment behaviors of the optimized turbine.

Effect of Slotted Angle on Savonius Wind Turbine Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Rahmat Wahyudi ◽  
Diniar Mungil Kurniawati ◽  
Alfian Djafar
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Angle Variation ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Savonius Wind Turbine ◽  
Low Wind Speeds

The potential of wind energy is very abundant but its utilization is still low. The effort to utilize wind energy is to utilize wind energy into electrical energy using wind turbines. Savonius wind turbines have a very simple shape and construction, are inexpensive, and can be used at low wind speeds. This research aims to determine the effect of the slot angle on the slotted blades configuration on the performance produced by Savonius wind turbines. Slot angle variations used are 5o ,10o , and 15o with slotted blades 30% at wind speeds of 2,23 m/s to 4,7 m/s using wind tunnel. The result showed that a small slot angle variation of 5o produced better wind turbine performance compared to a standard blade at low wind speeds and a low tip speed ratio.

scholarly journals GoWInD: Wind Energy Spatiotemporal Assessment and Characterization of End-of-Life Activities

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6015
Author(s):  
Francisco Haces-Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
The United States ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Distribution ◽  
Continuous Growth ◽  
Disposal Options ◽  
Life Options

Concerns on the lack sustainable end-of-life options for wind turbines have significantly increased in recent years. To ensure wind energy continuous growth, this research develops a novel spatiotemporal methodology that sustainably handles end-of-life activities for wind equipment. This research introduces the Global Wind Inventory for Future Decommissioning (GoWInD), which assesses and characterizes wind turbines according to individual spatiotemporal decommissioning and sustainability attributes. Applying data from GoWInD, the research developments networks of end-of-life (EoL) centers for wind turbines. The placement and operational levels of EoL centers optimize sustainable decommissioning according to changing spatiotemporal features of wind turbines. The methodology was evaluated for the United States, developing the United States Global Wind Inventory for Future Decommissioning (US—GoWInD), implementing the network of United States end-of-life (US—EoL) centers. Significant imbalances on the temporal and spatial distribution of US wind decommissioning inventory were revealed by the system. Diverse options to effectively handle these imbalances were highlighted by the methodology, including US—EoL center optimization according to placement, operational levels and potential complementarities. Particular attention was paid to components with challenging disposal options. The system can be implemented for diverse geographical locations and alternative spatial and temporal resolutions.

scholarly journals Wake and Turbulence Analysis for Wind Turbine Layouts in an Island

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 06010
Author(s):  
Bachhal Amrender Singh ◽  
Vogstad Klaus ◽  
Lal Kolhe Mohan ◽  
Chougule Abhijit ◽  
Beyer Hans George
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Full Length Paper ◽  
Turbulence Analysis ◽  
Wake Model ◽  
Wind Resources

There is a big wind energy potential in supplying the power in an island and most of the islands are off-grid. Due to the limited area in island(s), there is need to find appropriate layout / location for wind turbines suited to the local wind conditions. In this paper, we have considered the wind resources data of an island in Trøndelag region of the Northern Norway, situated on the coastal line. The wind resources data of this island have been analysed for wake losses and turbulence on wind turbines for determining appropriate locations of wind turbines in this island. These analyses are very important for understanding the fatigue and mechanical stress on the wind turbines. In this work, semi empirical wake model has been used for wake losses analysis with wind speed and turbine spacings. The Jensen wake model used for the wake loss analysis due to its high degree of accuracy and the Frandsen model for characterizing the turbulent loading. The variations of the losses in the wind energy production of the down-wind turbine relative to the up-wind turbine and, the down-stream turbulence have been analysed for various turbine distances. The special emphasis has been taken for the case of wind turbine spacing, leading to the turbulence conditions for satisfying the IEC 61400-1 conditions to find the wind turbine layout in this island. The energy production of down-wind turbines has been decreased from 2 to 20% due to the lower wind speeds as they are located behind up-wind turbine, resulting in decreasing the overall energy production of the wind farm. Also, the higher wake losses have contributed to the effective turbulence, which has reduced the overall energy production from the wind farm. In this case study, the required distance for wind turbines have been changed to 6 rotor diameters for increasing the energy gain. From the results, it has been estimated that the marginal change in wake losses by moving the down-stream wind turbine by one rotor diameter distance has been in the range of 0.5 to 1% only and it is insignificant. In the full-length paper, the wake effects with wind speed variations and the wind turbine locations will be reported for reducing the wake losses on the down-stream wind turbine. The Frandsen model has been used for analysing turbulence loading on the down-stream wind turbine as per IEC 61400-1 criteria. In larger wind farms, the high turbulence from the up-stream wind turbines increases the fatigues on the turbines of the wind farm. In this work, we have used the effective turbulence criteria at a certain distance between up-stream and down-stream turbines for minimizing the fatigue load level. The sensitivity analysis on wake and turbulence analysis will be reported in the full-length paper. Results from this work will be useful for finding wind farm layouts in an island for utilizing effectively the wind energy resources and electrification using wind power plants.

scholarly journals A Study on the Development Trends of the Energy System with Blockchain Technology Using Patent Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2005
Author(s):  
Lin-Yun Huang ◽  
Jian-Feng Cai ◽  
Tien-Chen Lee ◽  
Min-Hang Weng
Keyword(s):  
Patent Application ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Patent Analysis ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Development Trends ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Patent Applications

Recently, the application of blockchain to the setting, management, and trading of the energy system has formed an innovative technology and has attracted a lot of attention from industry, academia, and research. In this study, we use patent analysis technology to explore the development trends of the energy system with blockchain technology. During the patent analysis process, this study makes corresponding analysis charts, such as patent application numbers over time, patent application numbers for main leading countries, applicants, patent citations, international patent classification (IPC), and life cycle. Relative research and design (R&D) capability of the top ten applicants is estimated and the cluster map of the technology is obtained. The technical features of the top five IPC patent applications are related to the cluster map to show the development of energy blockchain technology. Through this paper, first, the basics of the blockchain and patent analysis are illustrated and, moreover, the reason why and how blockchain technology can be combined with the energy system is also briefly described and analyzed. The results of the patent analysis of energy blockchain technology indicate that the United States leads the way, accounting for more than half of the global total. It is also interesting to note that the participants are not from traditional specific fields, but included electric power manufacturers, computer software companies, e-commerce companies, and even many new companies devoted to blockchain technology. Walmart Apollo, LLC and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) have the highest number of patent applications. However, Walmart Apollo, LLC ranks first with a greater number of inventors of 36, an activity year of 2 years, and a relative R&D capability of 100%. IBM ranks second with an activity year of 3 years and a research and development capability of 91%. Among various applicants, IBM and LO3 energy started earlier in this field, and their patent output is also more prominent. The IPC is mainly concentrated in G06Q 50/06, which belongs to the technical field of the setting and management of the energy system including electricity, gas, or water supply. Currently, most projects are in the early development stages, and research on key areas is still ongoing to improve the required scalability, decentralization, and security. Thus, energy blockchain technology is still in the growth period, and there is still considerable room for development of the patent in the later period. Moreover, it is suggested that the novel communication module such as the combination of the consortium blockchain and the private blockchain cold also provide their own advantages to achieve the purpose of improving system performance and efficiency.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document