In recent years, mini wind energy has been developing in a spectacular way.
According to estimates by the WWEA-World Wind Energy Association, the level of development of the mini wind energy industry is not the same as that of the wind energy industry, although forecasts are optimistic. The main reason is that the level of efficiency of small wind turbines is low. To address this problem, the UPV/EHU’s research group APERT (Applied Electronics Research Team) has developed an adaptative algorithm. The improvements that are applied to the control of these turbines will in fact contribute towards making them more efficient. The study has been published in the journal Renewable Energy.
Small wind turbines tend to be located in areas where wind conditions are more unfavourable. “The control systems of current wind turbines are not adaptative; in other words, the algorithms lack the capacity to adapt to new situations,” explained Iñigo Kortabarria, one of the researchers in the UPV/EHU’sAPERT research group. That is why “the aim of the research was to develop a new algorithm capable of adapting to new conditions or to the changes that may take place in the wind turbine,” added Kortabarria. That way, the researchers have managed to increase the efficiency of wind turbines.
The speed of the wind and that of the wind turbine must be directly related if the latter is to be efficient. The same thing happens with a dancing partner. The more synchronised the rhythms of the dancers are, the more comfortable and efficient the dance is, and this can be noticed because the energy expenditure for the two partners is at a minimum level. To put it another way, the algorithm specifies the way in which the wind turbine adapts to changes. This is what the UPV/EHU researchers have focussed on: the algorithm, the set of orders that the wind turbine will receive to adapt to wind speed.
“The new algorithm adapts to the environmental conditions and, what is more, it is more stable and does not move aimlessly. The risk that algorithms run is that of not adapting to the changes and, in the worst case scenario, that of making the wind turbine operate in very unfavourable conditions, thereby reducing its efficiency.
Efficiency is the aim
Efficiency is one of the main concerns in the mini wind turbine industry. One has to bear in mind that small wind turbines tend to be located in areas where wind conditions are more unfavourable. Large wind turbines are located in mountainous areas or on the coast; however, small ones are installed in places where the wind conditions are highly variable. What is more, the mini wind turbine industry has few resources to devote to research and very often is unaware of the aerodynamic features of these wind turbines. All these aspects make it difficult to monitor the point of maximum power (MPPT Maximum Power Tracking) optimally.“There has to be a direct relation between wind speed and wind turbine speed so that the monitoring of the maximum point of power is appropriate. It is important for this to be done optimally. Otherwise, energy is not produced efficiently,” explained Iñigo Kortabarria.
Most of the current algorithms have not been tested under the conditions of the wind that blows in the places where small wind turbines are located. That is why the UPV/EHU researchers have designed a test bench and have tested the algorithms that are currently being used —including the new algorithm developed in this piece of research— in the most representative conditions that could exist in the life of a wind turbine with this power. “Current algorithms cannot adapt to changes, and therefore wind turbine efficiency is severely reduced, for example, when wind density changes,” asserted Kortabarria.
“The experimental trials conducted clearly show that the capacity to adapt of the new algorithm improves energy efficiency when the wind conditions are variable,” explained Kortabarria.“ We have seen that under variable conditions, in other words, in the actual conditions of a wind turbine, the new algorithm will be more efficient than the existing ones.”
The Latest on: Small wind turbines
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Small wind turbines” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Small wind turbines
- The Scots engineer who pioneered the wind turbineon May 8, 2024 at 2:58 pm
When James Blyth created what many believe was the world’s first wind turbine in 1887, villagers dismissed it as the "work of the devil". The huge structure at Blyth’s family home in the Aberdeenshire ...
- The benefits of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines: omnidirectional, close-packed, easier to maintain + moreon May 8, 2024 at 12:00 am
Most wind turbines are “horizontal axis,” pointing into the direction of the wind. “Vertical axis” turbines can capture wind energy from any direction, but current designs are less efficient and so ...
- UK Prime Minister Sunak asked to halt Chinese wind turbine factoryon May 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
where it already has turbines turning offshore at a small project in Italy. Mingyang last year was the world’s fifth-largest overall installer of new wind turbines with a total capacity of 9GW, and ...
- Springs Utilities works to restore power after wind damageon May 6, 2024 at 10:33 pm
“Today was a kick in the gut for a small business for sure,” said ... Springs Utilities said power had been restored for most of their customers. “With any extremely high wind event like we’re ...
- Colorado Springs wind storm downs power lines, closes schools and leaves thousands without poweron May 6, 2024 at 12:45 pm
Thousands of Colorado Springs residents were without electricity Monday after a windstorm ripped through the Pikes Peak region, according to Colorado Springs Utilities.
- What it was like taking photos of Vineyard Wind from a planeon May 5, 2024 at 9:51 pm
The first time I photographed sea-based wind turbines was from a small, chartered fishing boat on the Irish Sea off Arklow Ireland in October 2005, too much wind and not enough boat made for a choppy ...
- Planes have a secret wind turbine generator — just in caseon May 2, 2024 at 5:40 am
Aircraft safety is a hot topic these days, with Federal Aviation Administration investigators looking into door seals at Boeing, aircraft slides flying off mid air and engine failures plaguing several ...
- Wind Energy Newson May 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Sep. 19, 2023 — The output of wind turbines can rise or fall by 50 per ... exposure to wind farm and road traffic noise triggers a small increase in people waking from their slumber that can ...
- U.S. Saw Drop in Wind Power Last Year, Despite New Turbineson May 1, 2024 at 7:08 am
For the first time since the mid-1990s, U.S. wind generation dropped in 2023, according to government figures. The slump is the result of weak winds in the Midwest, and it comes despite the continued ...
- Will climate change suck the air out of Illinois' wind power industry?on April 26, 2024 at 11:43 am
Wind and solar are supposed to replace coal plants that are closing, but that didn’t happen in 2023. Another fossil fuel, natural gas, filled the void.
via Bing News