Abstract
This paper presents a review of over a decade of research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) conducted at Uppsala University. The paper presents, among others, an overview of the 200 kW VAWT located in Falkenberg, Sweden, as well as a description of the work done on the 12 kW prototype VAWT in Marsta, Sweden. Several key aspects have been tested and successfully demonstrated at our two experimental research sites. The effort of the VAWT research has been aimed at developing a robust large scale VAWT technology based on an electrical control system with a direct driven energy converter. This approach allows for a simplification where most or all of the control of the turbines can be managed by the electrical converter system, reducing investment cost and need for maintenance. The concept features an H-rotor that is omnidirectional in regards to wind direction, meaning that it can extract energy from all wind directions without the need for a yaw system. The turbine is connected to a direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), located at ground level, that is specifically developed to control and extract power from the turbine. The research is ongoing and aims for a multi-megawatt VAWT in the near future.
Highlights
Wind power energy has in the last century emerged as a new large scale renewable energy technology
The paper presents an overview of the 200 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) located in Falkenberg, Sweden, as well as a description of the work done on the 12 kW prototype VAWT in Marsta, Sweden
This paper presents a review of over a decade of research on VAWTs conducted at Uppsala
Summary
Wind power energy has in the last century emerged as a new large scale renewable energy technology. The main political incentive relates to the ongoing discussions on global climate change and the desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions [1]. In this respect, wind power represents an environmental friendly energy source without fuel cost and without gas emissions [2]. One of the more famous projects is the Eole, a joint venture project between Hydro-Quebec and the National Resource Council of Canada to develop a large-scale Darrieus VAWT in the early 1980s. The Eole, a 96 m high Darrieus turbine built in 1986, was built with a rated maximum power of 3.8 MW and a swept area of 4000 m2 [3]
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