Wind Power Sector Research Articles

Wind Turbine Planetary Gear Defect Detection with Mathematical Modelling through Transmission Error

Analysis and prediction of planetary gear set defects has been a requirement in the wind power sector since years. Though a wind turbine gearbox is operating with many different gear types, planetary gear stage finds use in the modern era due to its high torque-to-weight ratio. This paper aims to build and validate the mathematical model of planetary gear set and understand the change in dynamic response by changing the error function during gear meshing. A single stage planetary gear has been implemented for the purpose of verification of the mathematical model. MW sized gearbox parameters have been fed to the model and real gear defect amplitude has been taken as error in the model. This helps understanding the dynamic behaviour of planetary gear set during operation under defective gear condition.

Determination of wind dissipation maps and wind energy potential in Burdur province of Turkey using geographic information system (GIS)

Wind speed measurements, wind energy analysis and wind speed maps are extremely important for wind power generation and use. In this paper, the wind speed values of between 2009 and 2016 were obtained from four different stations located in Burdur in order to analyze the wind energy potential of Burdur Province. The data data from stations in Burdur province were examined using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methodology and predicted wind speed values until the end of 2030 were determined. Also, formulas have derived to predict wind speed of Burdur province in future. Data obtained by artificial neural networks have transferred to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the areas with high potential for future wind power applications are identified and wind dissipation maps have created. This paper shows that both researchers and investors in the wind power sector can easily use ANN and GIS as an alternative to traditional predicting methods.

Use of quality tools and techniques and their integration into ISO 9001

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of quality management tools and techniques and their integration into the ISO 9001:2008 standard in a wind power (WP) sector supply chain (SC).Design/methodology/approachThe research project was carried out in 119 WP sector SC companies (i.e. component suppliers, wind turbine assemblers and wind farm operation and maintenance services) using the questionnaire method. The companies selected employ quality management systems (QMSs) which conform to the ISO 9001:2008 standard.FindingsThe survey findings reveal that the degree to which quality tools and techniques are used in the WP companies can be characterised as “high”. The results show that internal audits, flowchart diagrams and cost of poor quality are the most-commonly applied tools and techniques, although they also indicate some areas for further improvement, for instance, when using advanced and complex quality techniques such as design of experiments, quality function deployment or business process management. In addition to this, the findings reveal that ISO 9001:2008 establishes a favourable environment for the use of quality tools and techniques.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was based on the perceptions of quality managers, quality engineers and company managers (subjective data) and did not examine the reasons for either not implementing and/or the difficulties encountered while implementing quality tools and techniques.Practical implicationsThe specific findings indicate that employing quality tools and techniques is useful for managers, not only when implementing a QMS, but also when suggesting recommendations for improvement.Originality/valueA change of developing a framework integrating the main QT&T procedures into the main ISO 9001 processes.

A Review of Indian Grid Codes for Wind Power Generation

There is an unprecedented growth of wind power generation in India and consequent increase in the penetration level in Indian power system. High penetration of WPG in grid with improved reliability and security is possible when these generators follow Indian Electric Grid Codes (IEGC) enforced since 2010. The requirements for frequency and active and reactive power control are well documented in IEGC. This paper presents the salient features of Indian grid codes for wind power generation and then compares IEGC with grid codes of other countries where wind power penetration has reached higher levels. A comparison of IEC 61400 standard for connection interface for distributed generators and IEGC reveals that IEGC has spelt the code in the minutest details for the current status of wind power sector in India.

Estimating the cost of capital for wind energy investments in Turkey

Wind power represents a key component of Turkey's energy strategy. Increased investment will be required to meet Turkey's wind power target and, as such, there is a need to understand the viability of wind power projects there. The cost of capital is a crucial element in wind power investment decisions owing to the high capital intensity of wind power plants. A reduction in the cost of capital through support policies can lower overall project costs and increase investment. We estimate the cost of capital for wind power projects in Turkey using data on 138 installations that participated in the Turkish feed-in tariff scheme in 2017. Our estimates indicate an upper bound of 12% for the cost of capital. This suggests the cost of capital for wind power projects in Turkey is not higher than in south-eastern European Union countries. However, because of adverse macroeconomic conditions, the cost of Turkey's main renewable support scheme increased by 46% between 2016 and 2017 in Turkish lira terms. We argue that continued commitment to the current support schemes by the Turkish authorities is crucial for the development of the Turkish wind power sector.

Incumbents’ response to demand-side policies: The case of solar and wind power sectors

AbstractThis work examines incumbents’ responses to two demand-side policies by focusing on their investment in new sustainable technologies. It focuses on how economic incentive and regulatory policies shape the market environment and this affects incumbents’ investment in new technologies. By using mediation and difference-in-difference regression models, it examines incumbent utilities’ investment in solar and wind power plants. It reveals that incumbent utilities under the economic incentive policy more invest in the solar and wind power than those under the regulatory policy, as it places stronger competitive pressure on incumbent utilities to adapt to the new technology. Further, incumbents prefer alternative technologies complementary to their existing competences and expand their investment in a global market under policy-induced competitive pressures.

Analysis of factors impacting wind and solar sectors—Challenges to sustainable development (Four Country Study)

AbstractDeployment of renewable energy has progressed remarkably, with 1,000 GW installations (end of 2017), comprising 540 GW wind and 400 GW solar photovoltaic assets. However, the growth has been nonhomogenous, with spatial and temporal variations witnessed even within countries. Existing literature is focused on policy‐related factors, ignoring nonpolicy variables. We conducted a panel data regression to identify nonpolicy variables impacting wind and solar power sectors in four countries—Germany, India, Japan, and the United States; these rank among top five globally in terms of renewable deployment. Impact assessment of nine variables on wind (period 2004–2016) and 10 variables on solar (period 2006–2016) was undertaken for this study. Long‐term energy data trends highlighted continuous use of oil, amid a growing share of gas and renewable power, along with a diminishing role of nuclear and coal power. Regression analysis reflected significance of commercial factors such as module cost and renewable country index, impacting the growth of these two sectors. Energy imports came out as a strong driver for wind as the sector was initially promoted for enhancing energy security. Contribution of fossil fuels in energy supply also displayed a high significance. Greenhouse gases emissions did not come strongly due to continued dominance of fossil fuels, carbon emissions from ‘nonelectricity’ use, and reduction in use of nuclear power. Suggestions for a steady growth include facilitating business transformation of utilities, enhancing ease of doing business, and developing new markets such as electric mobility and heating.

A hybrid SVM-NARX based prediction method for Indian wind power sector

Today energy demand in different sector of the world has been increased very much and supply problem become critical issue of energy supplying farms. Due to rapid decreasing of current available conventional sources and its harmful effect on human being and global warming, today people of the world pay more attention on pollution free sources of energy in term of nonconventional and sources of green energy. In this regard wind can be one of the cleanest and pollution free that will not generate any harmful emission and has some potential to reduce the dependence on polluted conventional sources. Although wind power generation faces main challenges in term of its unpredictable nature, frequency stability and availability in given time span. To overcome such challenges, the prediction of wind energy with certain accuracy is very essential. This work suggests a hybrid based method for prediction of wind power and its speed up remarkable certainty accuracy. This hybrid method considers the most useful data set from different available data set to train and validate of SVM-NARX model.

Renewable energy in Bangladesh: Status and prospects

Global energy demand has risen sharply over the years with developing countries recording the greatest share in this trend. Biomass as an energy resource is mostly available locally and can easily be converted into secondary energy without huge capital investments. Nowadays, Bangladesh shares a percentage of renewable energy only 3% of total energy ratio, Bangladesh has already taken a master plan in the renewable energy sector. Whereas installed electricity generation installed capacity of Bangladesh rapidly increased to 13265 MW with captive generation capacity which is insufficient for fulfilling the demand of electricity of the nations. One-third of the power production of Bangladesh depends on expensive imported fossil fuel energy resources and 65% of power generation depends on a natural gas reserve of the country, though one day the reserve of current gas will be diminished. Moreover, inadequate electricity production leads the country in a un-industrialization. The present and future crucial energy crisis situation adapted by installing renewable power into electricity production. The current renewable energy agenda of Bangladeshi government force the specialization of renewable energy generation budget by decreasing global pollution with saving movement of biomass, solar, hydro, wind, and tidal power sector. This paper presents the currents national energy scenario of Bangladesh. According to this, the greater potentiality of renewable energy resources is also reviewed and presented in this paper.

Wind Turbulence Intensity at La Ventosa, Mexico: A Comparative Study with the IEC61400 Standards

Wind speed turbulence intensity is a crucial parameter in designing the structure of wind turbines. The IEC61400 considers the Normal Turbulence Model (NTM) as a reference for fatigue load calculations for small and large wind turbines. La Ventosa is a relevant region for the development of the wind power sector in Mexico. However, in the literature, there are no studies on this important parameter in this zone. Therefore, we present an analysis of the turbulence intensity to improve the understanding of local winds and contribute to the development of reliable technical solutions. In this work, we experimentally estimate the turbulence intensity of the region and the wind shear exponent in terms of atmospheric stability to analyze the relation of these design parameters with the recommended standard for large and small wind turbines. The results showed that the atmosphere is strongly convective and stable in most of the eleven months studied. The turbulence intensity analysis showed that for a range of wind speeds between 2 and 24 m/s, some values of the variable measured were greater than those recommended by the standard, which corresponds to 388 hours of turbulence intensity being underestimated. This may lead to fatigue loads and cause structural damage to the technologies installed in the zone if they were not designed to operate in these wind speed conditions.

Anticipating in-use stocks of carbon fibre reinforced polymers and related waste generated by the wind power sector until 2050

The rapid development of the wind power sector with a steady increase in wind turbine size has led to a rising utilization of the carbon fibres used in their blades. This trend is expected to continue and as a result, the amount of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) waste generated by the wind power sector will grow quickly in the future due to production waste and wind turbines reaching the end of their product life cycle. This prospective study quantifies and localizes the evolution of the worldwide in-use stocks of CFRP and related waste and until 2050. A bottom-up approach has been used enabling the assessment of CFRP in-use stocks, by country and globally. By then, most of the cumulative amount of waste will be located in Europe and Asia with approximately 190,000 and 149,000 tons, respectively, if not recycled beforehand. To illustrate, it would represent 34,821 and 27,307 wind turbines of 5 MW to recycle in Europe and Asia. Thus, this study estimates the in-use stocks of CFRP and the related waste generation by geographical area including time references. Also, results could serve as a useful guide for the establishment of a waste management programme for the upcoming CFRP waste generated by the wind power sector until 2050.

Recent Development and Sustainability of Wind Power Sector in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the wind power sector has gained considerable attention over recent years. However, instead of sufficient renewable energy resources, the share of wind power within the national power generation mix is negligible. The gap between supply and demand has increased significantly (6,000 MW) over the last decade, resulting in an urgent need to assess future supply and demand and consider a feasible, if not sustainable power generation mix. For this reason, the most recent developments in wind power and sustainability were assessed against the selected environmental economic and social indicators. Notably, the wind power sector in Pakistan has gained considerable foreign and local attention in the last five years. Many projects are presently in progress and operational at various stages and locations. Furthermore, it is expected that by 2030, wind power energy generation will constitute more in the country’s power generation mix, more than the planned target of 5% by 2030. There is a high possibility that the utilization of wind for power generation can enhance overall climate change resilience.
 Keywords: Power generation, wind power, renewable energy, sustainability

Demand-Pull Instruments and the Development of Wind Power in Europe: A Counterfactual Analysis

Renewable energy technologies are called to play a crucial role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Since most of these technologies did not yet reach grid parity, public policies have been implemented in order to foster their deployment. The approach that has been privileged in Europe is the demand-pull approach that aims at creating a demand for these new technologies and at stimulating their diffusion. This paper examines the effect of demand-pull policies on the diffusion of onshore wind power technology in six European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In a first step, a micro-founded model of diffusion is calibrated in order to replicate the observed diffusion of wind power in these six countries. In a second step, a counterfactual analysis is conducted by investigating several scenarios. By taking into account the complex self-sustained dynamics of diffusion and the learning spillovers that operate in the wind power sector, we can derive several insights about demand-pull policies. First, the impact of a demand-pull policy on the diffusion of wind power is determined by the stage at which it comes to support it. The effect seems to be stronger at the beginning of the diffusion. Second, international spillovers do operate in the wind power sector. These international spillovers however are not strong enough to foster the diffusion of wind power in a country having no demand-pull support. We can derive from these two statements that a strategy consisting in not implementing any demand-pull policy, with the expectation that international spillovers will reduce the cost of wind power and foster the diffusion of the technology that then shall become competitive, is not a good option for a country targeting a high share of wind power in its energy mix.

Counterfactual comparisons of investment options for wind power and agricultural production in the United States: Lessons from Northern Ohio

We analyze potential efficiency gains in wind power projects by comparing counterfactual investment decisions in two different scenarios under a real options framework. The first scenario is a standard wind power investment, where the investor rents the land from local farms. In the second scenario, the wind power investor buys the land and commercializes both electricity and crop production, thus reducing the revenue risk through the diversification. Both scenarios have a waiting option, with the wholesale prices leading the installation decision. We model the electricity price as a mean reverting process with jumps and with different jumping probabilities for the different seasons of the year. Corn prices follow a mean reverting process. The waiting flexibility was modeled as a bundle of European options. The results indicate that the waiting option is exercised in 100% of our simulations in both scenarios, suggesting the still important role of government policies to stimulate wind power. More importantly, in more than 90% of the simulations, the second scenario brought value to the investment. Furthermore, net present values are more sensitive to reductions in capital costs than electricity prices. These results can form the basis for more effective policies for the wind power sector.

Microeconomic Analysis for the Formation of Renewable Energy Support Policy: the Case of Wind Power Sector in Lithuania

Economic researches of renewable energy sources (RES) intensified in recent years only through the implementation of European Union Directives. Incentives for wider use of RES are declared both in the European Union and in Lithuanian laws. However, it may be said that there is lack of researches, which would answer questions about economic assumptions that would link energy policy to the economic results and would justify benefits of the use of RES technologies on state-wide. Thus this paper aims at presenting methodological principles of wind technologies assessment based on the economic indicators. The impact of wind technologies implementation on economy was estimated based on the microeconomic analysis method. Levelised cost of energy approach is used to compute wind electricity prime cost. Economic indicators are computed. The research results disclosed that investment subsidy and feed-in tariffs are attractive support measures for the investor. They could be used to promote wind electricity sector development in Lithuania in future. Energy policy decision making should be based on the economic assessment principles. Wind power support schemes and support levels should be reconsidered considering the net benefits of wind technologies. Wind technologies bring benefits to economy through their impact on profit, income-based taxes, electricity import substitution and CO2 savings.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.29.2.13626

Impact of Financing Instruments and Strategies on the Wind Power Production Costs: A Case of Lithuania

Abstract The paper aims at demonstrating the relevance of financing instruments, their terms and financing strategies in relation to the cost of wind power production and the ability of wind power plant (PP) to participate in the electricity market in Lithuania. The extended approach to the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) is applied. The feature of the extended approach lies in considering the lifetime cost and revenue received from the support measures. The research results have substantiated the relevance of financing instruments, their terms and strategies in relation to their impact on the LCOE and competitiveness of wind PP. It has been found that financing of wind PP through the traditional financing instruments (simple shares and bank loans) makes use of venture capital and bonds coming even in the absence of any support. It has been estimated that strategies consisting of different proportions of hard and soft loans, bonds, own and venture capital result in the average LCOE of 5.1–5.7 EURct/kWh (2000 kW), when the expected electricity selling price is 5.4 EURct/kWh. The financing strategies with higher shares of equity could impact by around 6 % higher LCOE compared to the strategies encompassing higher shares of debt. However, seeking to motivate venture capitalists, bond holders or other new financiers entering the wind power sector, support measures (feed-in tariff or investment subsidy) are relevant in case of 250 kW wind PP. It has been estimated that under the unsupported financing strategies, the average LCOE of 250 kW wind PP will be 7.8–8.8 EURct/kWh, but it will reduce by around 50 % if feed-in tariff or 50 % investment subsidy is applied.

Modelo híbrido de previsão de séries temporais para possíveis aplicações no setor de geração eólica

In this paper an innovative hybrid model of time series prediction based on the combination of two functions (linear and nonlinear) of the Holt-Winters and Artificial Neural Networks models is presented. This model is applied in wind speed in northeastern Brazil, and was able to perform short and long term forecasts with good accuracy. We highlight the efficiency of the proposed model in providing perfect adjustments to the data observed, being this affirmative according to the low values found in the statistical analysis of errors, for example, with percentage error of approximately 5.0%, and also with the value of the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency of approximately 0.96. These results were important for the accuracy of the data, so that they could follow the profile of the observed time series, mainly revealing greater similarities of maximum and minimum values between both series, thus showing the capacity of the model to represent characteristics of local seasonality. Wind speed prediction methods can be a useful technique in the wind power sector, for example, being able to acquire important information on how local wind potential can be harnessed for possible electric power generation.

Social Issues in Wind Power Projects in India

In the quest to increase dependence on non-conventional energy sources, India over the past few years has laid additional emphasis on the renewable sector. Within the renewable sector, wind power has emerged as the single-largest energy contributor in the country. The sector has been appreciated for having limited adverse implications on local communities, environment and ecology. However, off late, studies on individual projects and analysis of available sectoral data reveal that there are critical environmental and social (E&S) issues that the wind power sector needs to address. The present article, based on the review of available literature (articles/case studies, newspaper clippings, books and E&S Impact Assessment reports), has identified the key social issues affecting the sector. Based on discussions with renewable energy specialists and an assessment of available mitigation measures, recommendations have been proposed to address the identified areas of concern. It is believed that addressing the social issues of concern in the present article will contribute towards promoting socially responsible and long-term generation of renewable power in consonance with the renewable and wind power policies of India.

Socio-economic and environmental analysis of wind power projects as viable renewable energy resources in Kenya

The demand for power in Kenya is on the increase with the ongoing growth of the country’s economy. There is a need for the country to balance energy efficiency, sustainability and low-carbon technologies. This entails drafting and implementing policies and strategies towards a low-carbon development path, ranging from fuels, technologies and infrastructure. This work examines the drivers of renewable energy resources in Kenya, focusing on Ngong Wind Farm. Results show that most low-carbon innovations in Kenya are driven by government tariffs and policies. Funding, and political and community goodwill remarkably influence the success of wind power projects in Kenya. The case study is a novel experiment that offers sustainable alternatives in the energy sector. There is need for more investment in the renewable sector, especially in the set up of power plants and power storage. To address the shortcomings in the renewable energy sector, there is a need for further research and development, and collaborations to foster innovations in the wind power sector in country. A combination of knowledge and resources, and leveraging local and national policies are potential ways in which institutional platforms can foster wind technology advancement and dissemination.

International knowledge spillovers in the wind power industry: evidence from the European Union

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the presence of international knowledge spillovers in the wind power sector. Specifically, the paper investigates whether successful invention efforts in one country, measured by way of granted wind power patent counts, have had positive effects on the neighboring countries’ abilities to generate patents of the same category. Data on the number of patents granted at the European Patent Office during the period 1978–2008 are used for the eight national technological leaders in the western European wind power sector. The few comprehensive wind power studies that exist have only found limited evidence of international knowledge spillovers. However, in this paper, we find that international spillovers are statistically significant determinants of a country’s wind power patenting outcomes. Geographical distance is also taken into consideration, and the knowledge spillover effects are shown to become stronger with decreases in this distance. The results should have important policy implications, for example, for a national government when it comes to applying an investment strategy in wind power or, alternatively, free-riding on other countries’ invention efforts.