Emergence of Wind Energy: The University of Massachusetts - Wind Power for the World: The Rise of Modern Wind Energy - page 550

Some of our earlier work with hybrid power systems was
reflected in the topic Wind Diesel Systems: A Guide to the Technology

and (Cambridge University Press, 1994).

This topic was one of the key outputs of an International Energy
Agency working group in which we were privileged to participate.
Wind resource analysis in the wind energy field has two
very broad purposes. The first has to do with characterising the
conditions which wind turbine itself must be designed to accom-
modate. The second has to do with the performance of the turbine
(in terms of energy generation). Topics of interest in the first
area have to do with turbulence (both temporal and spatial) and
extreme events. Topics in the second area have to do variations
in the wind that result in short-term electrical fluctuations and
more slowly fluctuating mean electrical power.
In the area of wind resource analysis, our work has made
use of what has by now become traditional data collection with
anemometry (for both mean wind speed and turbulence
investigations), through the use of SODAR (SOnic Detection And
Ranging), and most recently LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging).
For the processing of wind data, our early work included some
pioneering use of time series analysis, modelling with long term
statistics, spectral analysis, and data synthesis techniques (using
Markov processes).
Recently we undertook in studies of the portion of atmospheric
boundary layer in which the largest wind turbines of today
operate (40 m to 150 m above the ground). These studies utilised
instrumentation installed at multiple levels on very tall towers, as
well as SODAR and LIDAR. One of our projects involved monitoring
the wind ofshore in Nantucket Sound; some of that work is
illustrated in Fig. 24.4.
One of our most interesting projects was the creation of a
wind turbine test facility at the top of mountain ridge not far from
the University. The heart of the facility was an ESI turbine, which
was originally installed in California. We brought the turbine back
to Massachusetts and completely refurbished it before re-erecting
it on the ridge. The turbine, which is shown in Fig. 24.5, was
challenging in many ways—it had a 2-bladed, downwind,
teetered rotor, for example. The blades were stall regulated, the
nacelle was free to yaw as the wind direction changed, and the
control system was initially relatively primitive. This facility

its Implementation