Gamesa recently unveiled its new 2.5-MW wind turbine, especially designed for less windy conditions. The new turbine combines a longer rotor (126 meters in diameter), a nominal capacity of 2.5 MW, and a range of tower heights to choose from 84, 102, and 129 meters. Because of its extremely low power density, an outstanding capacity factor,…
Wider spacing leads to greater farm efficiency says CFD study
Conventional wisdom says to space wind turbines about seven rotor diameters apart to keep rotor wash from interfering with other turbines. But after a few fluid flow simulations and lab experiments, researchers at Johns Hopkins and Belgium’s Katholik Leuven University say that conventional wisdom needs an upgrade. “Optimal spacing between individual wind turbines is actually…
Laser-based wind sensor lets turbines grab more power
For decades, large utility scale wind turbines have been forced to rely on mechanical wind sensing devices that are mounted on the nacelles of the turbines to measure the wind speed and direction. These signals are fed into the wind turbine control system to adjust the turbine nacelle to account for the variations in the…
Shouded Wind Turbines Accelerate Output
Our objective while developing wind technology is to reduce costs and increase the power output of wind turbines. The principle behind our studies is to use the effect of static wing or sail structures, which convert energy more efficiently, to increase the efficiency of turbines. Many attempts have already been made during the last decades…
Wind Kite Concept could Generate Plenty of Power
Nobody can accuse Italian wind-turbine designers of not thinking big. They say conventional wind turbines just scratch the surface in a few favorable locations on what is an enormous energy field. Current designs cannot reach upper altitude winds and are close to dimensional limits. For instance, there is difficultly positioning hubs at over 100 m…