Applications throughout the World - Hybrid Anisotropic Materials for Wind Power Turbine Blades - page 1

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Application s throughout the World

1.1 Introduction

The. rapid. expansion. of. wind. power. is. partly. the. result. of. increased. tur-
bine.size.and.the.addition.of.new.wind.farms..It.is.also.due.to.technological.
improvements. in. the. wind. turbines. themselves.. Better. rotor. blade. aerody-
namics,. more. eficient. generators,. and. improved. supervisory. control. sys-
tems.make.today's.wind.turbines.more.eficient.than.ever.before.
This. enhanced. technology. presents. engineers. with. new. challenges.. A.
wind. turbine. is. a. complex. system. in. which. a. variety. of. subsystems. must.
work.together.as.eficiently.as.possible..The.subsystems.include.mechanical.
devices,.such.as.rotor.blades,.gearboxes,.hydraulic.or.electric.drives.for.set-
ting.blade.pitch.angles,.electrical.yaw.drives,.generators,.and.the.connection.
to.the.electrical.grid..All.of.these.are.monitored.by.a.complex.supervisory.
control.system.that.must.respond.in.a.speciic.way.to.varying.environmental.
conditions,.such.as.changing.wind.speeds.

1.2 LargeWind:BladesandRotors

There.are.more.than.20,000.wind.turbines.in.operation.in.Germany.generat-
ing.nearly.24,000.MW,.which.is.roughly.7.percent.of.the.electricity.consumed.
in.Germany. 1
Over.the.past.several.years,.wind.turbines,.rotors,.and.blades.have.become.
larger.and.their.designs.more.complex..For.example,.designs.common.in.the.
1980s. involved. blades. that. were. about. 8. m. long,. but. today. they. can. reach.
40.m.(or.more).for.land-based.applications.and.60.m.(or.more).for.offshore.
applications..To.achieve.the.20.percent.wind.scenario,.it.is.projected.that.this.
trend.toward.larger.blade.sizes.and.design.complexity.will.need.to.continue.
in.order.to.boost.power.and.energy.output,.increase.capacity.factors,.increase.
eficiencies,.and.lower.overall.capital.costs.

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