Chapter 24 - Wind turbine supporting tower structural health monitoring and vibration control

Abstract

Wind energy is one of the most mature renewable energy technologies and has been developing rapidly in recent years. Wind turbine farms are constructed in plentiful wind resources areas that put a considerable number of wind turbine towers under severe wind conditions. The global growth in wind energy also suggests that wind farms will increasingly be deployed in seismically active regions, with large arrays of similarly designed structures potentially at risk of simultaneous failure under a major earthquake. Wind turbine towers are complex structures as they are large, slender, and dynamic with many different operational states. This chapter of the book summarizes studies related to these structural safety problems, primarily including wind turbine tower structural performances under wind and seismic loads. To improve system safety and provide reliable power generation, various strategies have been developed, among which structural health monitoring and vibration control are thought to be promising. Therefore, the authors of this section of the book also summarize related studies.