Superconducting Wind Generators with Capacities of 10 MW and Larger

The overall dimensions and mass of wind power units with capacities larger than 10 MW can be improved and their cost can be decreased by developing and constructing superconducting synchronous generators. The article analyzes foreign conceptual designs of superconducting synchronous generators based on different principles: with the use of high- and low-temperature superconductivity, fully superconducting or only with a superconducting excitation system, and with the use of different materials (MgB2, Bi2223, YBCO). A high cost of superconducting materials is the main factor impeding commercial application of superconducting generators. In view of the state of the art in the technology for manufacturing superconductors and their cost, a conclusion is drawn, according to which a synchronous gearless superconducting wind generator with a capacity of 10 MW with the field winding made of a high-temperature superconducting material (MgB2, Bi-2223 or YBCO) with the «ferromagnetic stator — ferromagnetic rotor» topology, with the stator diameter equal to 7—9 m, and with the number of poles equal to 32—40 has prospects for its practical use in the nearest future.