Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Denmark. In addition to research and development testing, the Risﾭ station supports the
evaluation and certiication of commercial wind turbines. With certiication manufacturers
are eligible for various Danish tax credits and incentives, as well as for those from certain
other European countries. While the merits of government certiication can be argued
relative to the merits of industry self-certiication coupled with the workings of the market
place, the Danish program was effective in precluding undeveloped or poorly-developed
turbines from reaching the European market in any quantity. This led to the reputation for
reliability and performance enjoyed by Danish turbines during the highly-competitive
upsurge in the development of wind power stations in the U.S. in the mid-1980s.
U.S. National Wind Technology Center
In the early 1980s reductions in the U.S. government funding of wind research brought
an end to major testing activities at Rocky Flats. Other responsibilities of the test station
were turned over to the nearby
Solar Energy Research Institute
(SERI), which has recently
become the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) of the U.S. Department of
Energy. However, with the resurgence of interest in wind energy in the 1990s, the facility
at Rocky Flats was reconditioned as the
National Wind Technology Center
and operated
by NREL. This upgraded facility provides both government and private industry with
the laboratory and ield test capabilities required to support the development of advanced
small-, medium-, and large-scale wind turbines.
Small-Scale Wind Turbine Development Program
Shortly after the start of tests at Rocky Flats on existing wind turbines, a series
of competitive solicitations were issued for the development of new small-scale systems with
government support [Healy and Dodge 1981]. A number of these solicitations provided
“set-asides” for small business, to stimulate that segment of the industry. Table 3-1 lists the
small-scale turbines developed under this program, with summary design data.
The irst series of development projects was initiated in 1978 and included three levels
of rated power: 1 kW to 2 kW, for extremely reliable systems for remote use; 8 kW, for
rural residential and other uses; and 40 kW, for irrigation and other agricultural applications.
High-Reliability Turbines
Three high-reliability prototype machines in the 1-2 kW range were completed in 1980
by
Enertech Corporation, North Wind Power Company
, and
Aerospace Systems, Inc./Pinson
Engineering.
The irst two were HAWTs with upwind rotors and two and three blades,
respectively. The last was a 3-bladed giromill VAWT coniguration. Several copies of the
Enertech turbine were built for development purposes. The North Wind turbine evolved
into commercial products, the 2-kW
HR-2
and 3-kW
HR-3
HAWTs, of which a signiicant
number have been built that operate successfully in very remote locations. Their reliability
stems from having only a few moving parts. Power and speed are controlled by
vertical
furling
(
i.e.
tipping up the rotor) in high winds.
8-kW Turbines
Three manufacturers who developed 8-kW prototypes were
Windworks, Inc., Grumman
Energy Systems,
and
United Technologies Research Center
(UTRC). The irst two designed
3-bladed rotors, while the 2-bladed rotor of the UTRC machine incorporated a unique “self-
twisting” concept for speed and power control. Of iberglass construction, the blade spars
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