Identify location – Site access

In order for a project to be economically feasible and environmentally friendly, the most appropriate place for setting up the wind farm needs to be selected. Sites are analyzed with respect to road access, grid connectivity, area availability, site conditions, wind resource, visual impact, land ownership and noise issue.

Wind Resource Assessment

The wind speed study would include the average wind speed for various times of the year and the frequency at which the wind blows at that speed. A series of thorough examination of the wind data potential (i.e wind maps), meteorological data and proximity to transmission lines need to take place.  Of course, this wind map (and others like it) is simply a generalization of the entire state and does not reflect local wind conditions. Before a wind turbine could be erected a feasibility study on the site must be conducted. This would include the erection of an anemometer to measure the speed of the wind at the height at which the turbine will be operating.

Transmission lines

Obviously, the wind turbines have to be connected to the electrical grid.
For smaller projects, it is therefore essential to be reasonably close to a minimum 10-30 kilovolt power line if the costs of extending the electrical grid are not to be prohibitively high.

Electrical Power Collection System – Energy produced from the turbines is collected in a medium-voltage (approximately 25-35 kV) power collection system consisting of belowground cabling within the turbine rows and above-ground power lines from the turbine rows to the main substation . The interconnection point to the utility line can be colocated in the substation or it can be physically separated and located adjacent to the utility line. In general, wind energy projects are positioned within 1 to 10 Kilometers from the high-voltage transmission line to minimize costs associated with the interconnection.

Substation and Interconnection – For most wind energy projects, electrical energy produced by the turbines passes through a substation where it is metered and the voltage is increased to match the voltage of the utility grid. Plant isolation breakers, power quality monitors, and protective equipment are also present in the substation to protect  both the electrical grid and the wind turbines. A system of switches and overhead infrastructure is used to connect the substation to the utility’s power lines.

Ground conditions

The ground conditions at the site should be examined to consider whether construction of the foundations for the wind turbines, the erection of the machines and the provision of access roads is practical and economic.

Foundation & logistics

In general, the foundation design is based on the weight and configuration of the proposed turbine, the expected maximum wind speeds, and the soil characteristics at the site.
“Installation process. An appropriate platform (or equivalent structure) must be prepared in advance to interface with the Windrotor (at the customer‘s charge). The proper elevation of the rotor above ground level depends upon its surroundings and geographical conditions. It is recommended to position the rotor between 8 to 20 m above ground level. The static load calculated for a wind speed of 56 m/s at sea level and at the top of the mounting structure will be 2000 N for WRE.005, 9000 N for WRE.030 and 19000 N for WRE.060 for example.”
Source: http://www.genasyspowersystems.co.uk/Document_download/Ropatec_Catalog_Windrotor.pdf

Space Occupation

The wind environment in particular determines the number of turbines required and in turn the distance between the turbines. The better the wind the fewer the turbine needed and the shorter the cabling and other base case equipment, which minimizes the environmental footprint and improves long-term project viability.
Wind farms or wind parks often have many turbines installed. Since each turbine extracts some of the energy of the wind, it is important to provide adequate spacing between turbines to avoid excess energy loss.

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This entry was posted on Κυριακή, Απριλίου 5th, 2009 at 8:28 μμ and is filed under Wind Energy Turbines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.