Method to identify an Energy Class for Small Wind Turbines

J. .P. DUZDEVICH; M. TROVIANO

Energy for Sustainable Development

Elsevier

Año: 2023 vol. 74 p. 140 - 140

0973-0826

Driven by the needs of the megawatt-sized wind turbine industry and the IEC 61400 standard set requirements, both the testing techniques and wind turbine selection for Small Wind Turbines applications can be expensive. Regulations have so far focused mainly on structural safety aspects, leaving out any optimization of energy performance.For this reason, this paper proposes a methodology to classify small wind turbines from an energetic point of view. For that, an energy class is defined using the normalized annual energy produced by a small wind turbine and is compared with its equivalent ideal one. The methodology is validated using two traditional methodologies and is applied to 22 small wind turbines, which have been tested by independent laboratories. The results show that the Energy Class is a useful tool for the selection of small wind turbines.