Wind Power

Further reading

• Application Note - Wind Energy (7672)
• Wind Farm Development and Operation - A Case Study (11747)
• Opportunities for Wind Power Development (4669)

Wind Power

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By Ton Van der Wekken and Fred Wien, KEMA Consulting

Wind turbines make a major contribution to the production of renewable energy with its benefits of reduced reliance on fossil fuel imports and reduction in emissions. Development efforts following the 1970s oil crisis have now matured, leading to the wide availability of high capacity, efficient and reliable turbines suitable for onshore and offshore application.

This Application Note discusses wind turbine principles, how the available power can be assessed, the generation and control technology in current use and future trends.

Several European countries have ambitious plans for installing large amounts of wind power in the near future and some governments support these actions through tax or investment incentives. The northwest of Europe with its windy coastal waters and fine-meshed but strong electric grids provides promising opportunities for wind farm developers and investors.