Innovation in Wind Turbine Design

Innovation in Wind Turbine Design addresses the fundamentals of design, the reasons behind design choices, and describes the methodology for evaluating innovative systems and components. Always referencing a state of the art system for comparison, Jamieson discusses the basics of wind turbine theory and design, as well as how to apply existing engineering knowledge to further advance the technology, enabling the reader to gain a thorough understanding of current technology before assessing where it can go in the future.

Innovation in Wind Turbine Design is divided into four main sections covering design background, technology evaluation, design themes and innovative technology examples:

• Section 1 reviews aerodynamic theory and the optimization of rotor design, discusses wind energy conversion systems, drive trains, scaling issues, offshore wind turbines, and concludes with an overview of technology trends with a glimpse of possible future technology
• Section 2 comprises a global view of the multitude of design options for wind turbine systems and develops evaluation methodology, including cost of energy assessment with some specific examples
• Section 3 discusses recurrent design themes such as blade number, pitch or stall, horizontal or vertical axis
• Section 4 considers examples of innovative technology with case studies from real-life commercial clients.

This groundbreaking synopsis of the state of the art in wind turbine design is must-have reading for professional wind engineers, power engineers and turbine designers, as well as consultants, researchers and academics working in renewable energy.