Wind Turbine Design
The most efficient wind turbine design is of a tower holding a 3-blade rotor and an up wind (facing the oncoming wind) although some wind turbine designs only require two blades or are down wind.
Wind turbines are designed to harness wind energy but are limited by the laws of physics to capturing just under 60 per cent of the wind’s kinetic energy. This is called the Betz limit. However, modern wind turbine technology means some machines can now capture 70 to 80 per cent.
Coemi-Skywind are the most efficient designs with a power conversion of 85% because they use a asynchronous generator which is directly connected to the grid with no need for an inverter.
Most commercial machines are based on the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), but even the best wind turbine design needs to be right for its location. Different locations have different conditions, which in turn, require different equipment. Wind turbines require good steady winds to operated at maximum efficiency, level sites with little obstruction to the prevailing winds are ideal.
Positions close to high buildings, trees or on a ridge or brow of a hill should be avoided as these will cause turbulence, and irregular gusts.
The advantage of the Coemi-Skywind is that it is a completely controlled system using wind vane steering, using the latest hydraulic yaw control through a Mitsubishi PLC controller.
There a clear advantages with these systems over old fashioned mechanically furled generators.
- Less maintenance
- Longer blade life
- Higher generation for a comparable size
- Larger capacity designs without compromising reliability and maintenance
Essentially, every element of the build must follow a tailored plan, taking into account many factors such as where the wind turbine is going to be placed and the infrastructure of the grid at your location. The size or possible up grade of your transformer is an important factor to be considered.