University of Sharjah, College of Engineering
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Engineering Department
040-6330
Wind Energy Systems
Course Instructor: Tareq Salameh.
Chapter 1
Introduction of Modern wind Energy
and its Origins
Outlines
• Introduction: Windmill vs. Wind Turbine
• Modern Wind Turbine
• How a Wind Turbine Operates
• Power Output Prediction.
• History of Wind Energy
2
Wind Turbines Types
Turbines can be categorized into two classes
based on the orientation of the rotor.
Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)
• Horizontal-Axis - HAWT
• Single to many blades - 2, 3 most efficient
• Upwind, downwind facing (rotor orientation)
• Hub design (rigid or teetering)
• Shrouded / Ducted - Diffuser Augmented Wind
Turbine (DAWT)
Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT)
• Darrieus / Egg-Beater
• Savonius
3
Wind Turbines Types
HAWT (axis of rotation parallel to the ground)
VAWT (axis of rotation perpendicular to the ground)
5
Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines
Advantages
• Omni-directional
• accepts wind from any direction Disadvantages
• Components can be mounted at
ground level • Rotors generally near ground where
• ease of service wind is poorer
• lighter weight towers • Centrifugal force stresses blades •
• Can theoretically use less materials Poor self-starting capabilities
to capture the same amount of wind • Requires support at top of turbine
rotor
• Overall poor performance and
reliability
5
Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines
Small (<10 kW) Intermediate(10-250 kW)
• Homes • Village Power
• Farms • Hybrid Systems
• Remote Applications (e.g., • Distributed Power
water pumping, Telecom
sites, ice making)
Large (250 kW-2+ MW)
• Central Station Wind Farms
• Distributed Power
• Schools
Modern Small Wind Turbines:
High Tech, High Reliability, Low Maintenance
5
Large Wind Turbines
• Common Utility-Scale Turbines
• Tower height 328 feet (base to
blade)
• Each blade is 112- ft
• 200 tons total
• Foundation 20’ deep
• Rated at 1.5-2 megawatts
• Supply about 500 homes
6
Wide Sweep
231 ft.
211 ft.
8
Foundation and Tower
Evolution from truss (early 1970s) to monopole towers
Many different configurations proposed for offshore
9
Wind Turbine Main Components
9
How a Wind Turbine Operates
10
Modern Wind Turbines: subsystems
The rotor, consisting of the blades and the
supporting hub.
The drive train, which includes the rotating
parts of the wind turbine (exclusive of the
rotor); it usually consists of shafts, gearbox,
coupling, a mechanical brake, and the
generator.
The nacelle and main frame, including wind
turbine housing, bedplate, and the yaw system.
The tower and the foundation.
The machine controls.
The balance of the electrical system, including
cables, switchgear, transformers, and possibly
electronic power converters
12
Modern Wind Turbines: Design Options
The main options in wind turbine design and
construction include:
Number of blades (commonly two or three);
Rotor orientation: downwind or upwind of tower;
Blade material, construction method, and profile;
Hub design: rigid, teetering, or hinged;
Power control via aerodynamic control (stall control) or
variable-pitch blades (pitch control);
Fixed or variable rotor speed;
HAWT rotor configurations
Orientation by self-aligning action (free yaw), or
direct control (active yaw);
Synchronous or induction generator
13
Power output Prediction
The power output of a wind turbine varies with wind speed
Every wind turbine has a characteristic power performance curve, gives the
electrical power output as a function of the hub height wind speed.
The performance of a given wind turbine
generator can be related to three key points
on the velocity scale:
• Cut-in speed: the minimum wind speed at
which the machine will deliver useful
power.
• Rated wind speed: the wind speed at which
the rated power (generally the maximum
power output of the electrical generator) is
reached.
• Cut-out speed: the maximum wind speed at
which the turbine is allowed to deliver
power (usually limited by engineering
design and safety constraints).
14
Other Wind Turbine Concepts
15
How a Wind Turbine Operates
16
History of Wind Energy
5000 BC 500-900 AD 1300 AD 1850s Late 1880s
Sailboats used on the First windmills First horizontal-axis Daniel Halladay and Thomas O. Perry
Nile indicate the developed in Persia windmills in Europe John Burnham build conducted 5,000
power of wind Halladay Windmill; wind experiments;
start US Wind starts Aermotor Company
Engine Company
1888 Early 1900s 1941 1979
Charles F. Brush Windmills in CA In VT, Grandpa’s First wind turbine
used windmill to generate pumped saltwater Knob turbine rated over 1 MW
electricity to evaporate ponds supplies power to began operating
in Cleveland, OH town during WWII
1985 1993 2004 2013
CA wind capacity US Wind Power developed Electricity from Wind power provided
exceeded 1,000 MW first commercial variable-speed wind wind generation over 17% of renewable
turbine costs 3 to 4.5 cents per energy used in US
kWh
16
Technological Underpinnings of Modern Wind Turbines
18
Representative size, height, and diameter of wind turbines
19
