Wind Energy

Technology
IEEE PES
22 July 2008

JP Lyons - Novus Energy Partners

Bob Thresher NREL Wind Tech Center
Mike Robinson NREL Wind Tech Center
Paul Veers Sandia National Labs

Modern Wind Turbines

Electrical Pitch
Drives

GE 1.5sl
1.5 MW
77 M Rotor Diameter
50-100 M Tower

Doubly-Fed
Generator

98% Availability
Speed 10-20 RPM

Main Shaft &

Bearing

Variable Pitch

Gearbox

Epoxy-Glass
Composite Blades
Transformer &
Electrical

Power Electronic
Converter

2/
July, 2008

Vestas V100-2.75

Clipper 2.5-93

Land Based Technology

1.5 -3.0 MW upwind configuration

80-100m tapered cylindrical steel towers

3 stage gearbox

Distributed component drivetrain

Full span pitch control

200+MW Windfarms

Capacity Factor = (Annual Yield MWHrs)/(24*365*Power Rating)

Performance

97+% Availability

40+% CF at IEC-II 8.5 m/s

CF% +10 pts in last 5 yrs

~65 kWhr/kg tower top mass

GE 2.5xl

3/
July, 2008

Blades

4/
July, 2008

Wind Energy Conversion

Rotor power: P = 1/2 cp Avw3

cp - rotor power coefficient
- air density
A - rotor swept area
Ideal cp = 0.593 (Betz factor)
where V2 = 1/3 V1 (wind velocity slows by 2/3)
Tip speed ratio: = vt / vw
cp = f()
Windturbines: Fundamentals, Technologies, Application and Economics, Erich Hau, ISBN: 3540570640; (April 30, 2000)

5/
July, 2008

Wind
Turbine
Dynamics

Periodic Forces Excite Mechanical System

dominated by blade passing frequency (BP)
3P - wind shear, yaw error, tower shadow
1P - rotor unbalance gravity
P - rotational frequency

Turbine Natural Frequencies

Tower bending modes

Blade flap bending mode
Blade flutter & torsional modes
Yaw system torsional mode
Drive train torsional oscillation

Windturbines: Fundamentals, Technologies, Application and Economics, Erich Hau, ISBN: 3540570640; (April 30, 2000)

6/
July, 2008

Specific Yield WTG Comparison

Specific Yield kWHr per kg

Key turbine design metric

Yield driven by rotor swept

area & capture efficiency

Weight of similar technology

WTGs proxy for cost

Weight scales faster than

power rating

Need new technology to

decrease pu weight and
improve COE

7/
July, 2008

Wind Energy Converters

Grid

Rigid Danish fixed speed design:

PGen

Fixed speed coupling of an high slip induction

generator to the grid.

ASG

Pmech

Compensation

Grid

Variable speed double-fed generator:

4-quadrant converter feeds the rotor circuit to
generate grid-synchronous voltage at the
stator field.

PGen

Pmech

DFM

s*PGen

s*PGen

3~

Variable speed full converter solution:

A synchronous or induction generator
develops variable frequency alternating
voltage which is converted via full converter
into voltage/current synchronous with the grid.

Filter

3~

Grid
PGen
=

3~

Pmech

SG

Variable Speed / Variable Pitch

Turbines are Now the Industry Norm

3~
Filter

8/
July, 2008

Great Progress in Last Several Years

Mimic Thermal Power Plant Performance

Power electronics have changed wind technology

from a detriment to an attribute
ZVRT fault ride-thru to be required by FERC

Reactive power control voltage regulation, VAR

support w/o power

Active power control - ramp rates, power curtailment,

power droop W/ frequency, virtual inertia

Forecasting can significantly improve scheduling,

penetration & integrated system performance

Power (kW)

10% Power Increase

100
80

4% Frequency Reduction

Active Power Ramp-Rate Control ESB Ireland

ZVRT

LVRT
60
40
20
0
-1.0

0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
200 ms
Time (seconds)

5.0

6.0

Voltage Transient Ride-Thru Requirements

Wind Plant Voltage

Frequency (Hz)

120
Voltage at Point of Interconnection
(Percent)

Grid (Friendly) Integration

Wind RIDE-THRU

Voltage at POI

Wind Plant Power Output

Average Wind Speed

Colorado Green 220 kV Bus Voltage

Regulation
9/
July, 2008

Land Based Tech Improvements

Scale
5MW machines on the Great Plains
GW scale land projects
Shipping logistics: in-situ blade & tower mfg
90 kWhr/kg specific yield

Power Train
Compact 1-stage integrated gearbox,
bearings, generator
Direct drive
PM generators
Full MV power conversion

Bend-Twist Coupled Blades

Controls

WT Composites Sheathed
Space Frame Tower

Multi-variable model based controls

Load mitigation & damping

Cyclic & independent blade pitch control

Blades
Larger rotors, high eff airfoils + 10% CF
Load mitigating sweep and flap twist coupled blades
Automated carbon fiber sparcap & blade root
GEC Medium Speed Drivetrain Concept

On site blade infusion

10 /
July, 2008

Offshore Wind
90MW Vestas
Barrow, UK

176 MW Siemens/Bonus
Nysted, DK

Offshore Technology Today

19 Projects, 900 MW Installed, shallow water

3 -4 MW upwind configuration

5-6 MW turbines in prototype

80 m towers
Monopile & gravity foundations < 20m
Many challenges turbine only 1/3 project costs

Performance
40 MW Bonus Middlegrunden
Farm in Copenhagen Harbor

Great wind 9+ m/s

Average 45+% capacity factor
11 c/kwhr UK Thames Estuary site
SOA 5 MW viable in UK market
11 /
July, 2008

Offshore Technology
Horns Rev 80*2 MW

Huge
renewable asset
within 50 km of
US coast, 40m
depths

US Offshore Wind
Shallow (0-20m) limited US sites

Range of Foundation Technologies

Turbine 30% total Installation costs - staging, foundations,

grid interconnect, O&M costs dominate
Proactive environmental impact assessments & design
mitigation strategies
Support infrastructure needed vessels, dock side sites

Technology Needs
5-10 MW scale turbines

Steel lattice
steel shaft enclosed in wind
rebar reinforced concrete turbine turbine platform
tower

0.5 m cushion layer

shaft
PVC tubes
for cables

Foundation technology 40-50m

Hydrodynamic coupled design codes

scour protection

base plate

9 c/kWhr achievable in shallow water

Installation Jack-Up Barges

Hurricane ride-thru

15-20m

Shallow Depth Water Foundations

12 /
July, 2008

Offshore Machines Is Bigger Better?

Nacelle
Power Rotor Weight
Generator
Manufacturer Model
(MW) (m) + Rotor
(kg)
Enercon
E112
4.5
112
440
WF Sync
Enercon
E120
6
120
440
WF Sync
Vestas
V90
3
90
108
DFIG
Vestas
NM110
4.2
110
214
DFIG
Vestas
V120
4.5
120
214
DFIG
GE
3.6s
3.6
104
280
DFIG
GE
3.6sl
3.6
111
265
DFIG
Siemens/Bonus 3.6
3.6
107
200
Induction
Repower
5M
5
126
400
DFIG
Prokon Nord
Multibrid
5
116
280
PM Sync

Cf
(%)
44.0
41.6
43.5
44.6
46.5
45.3
47.9
46.4
46.3
43.4

* planned upgrades

GE 3.6 MW 104/111m

Vestas NM110/V120m
4.2/4.5 MW

Enercon E-112/120m,
4.5/6MW

Vestas V90
3MW, 90m

Prokon Nord
5MW, 116m

Siemens Bonus 3.6

3.6MW, 107m

Repower 5M
5MW, 126m
13 /
July, 2008

Large Offshore Turbines

EU Upwind R&D Program 8-10MW
Clipper Britannia 7.5 MW

10 MW Concept
180 m rotor diameter
Downwind 2 blade machine
Direct drive
Flexible compliant blades
Flow control blades
High rpm/tip velocity > 100 m/s
Space frame structure
Multivariable damping controls
40 m water depth foundation
Hurricane ride-thru capability

Industry Contemplating 7-10

MW Offshore Machines
14 /
July, 2008

20% Wind Technology Whats Needed?

Tech investments can have huge payoff;
1 c/kWh COE worth $12B/year in 2030
No critical barriers in materials or
industrial capacity to achieve goal
Comparable growth has been managed
in other industries
Built-in reliability
Increased turbine size & capacity factor
Lighter weight smarter turbines
Offshore infrastructure & technology
Grid integration technologies
forecasting, reserve, smarter t&d
160 MW Colorado Green Wind Plant Lamar, CO
15 /
July, 2008