Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators How They Work

admin answers:

Basically there are two methods.

For small turbines (a few kilowatts) the turbine runs at whatever speed it likes, depending on the wind speed. There is a separate electrical converter to change the generated power into AC at mains frequency and synchronize it with the mains.

There may be a simple device to limit the max turbine speed just to prevent mechanical damage – for example a mechanical brake or lock, or spring-loaded turbine blades that spill the wind when the wind speed is high.

Large turbines (producing of the order of 1 MW or more per turbine) run at constant speed, generate power at mains frequency, and are directly coupled into the electricity grid when they are working. The speed is controlled the same way as for conventional power station generators. Without getting lost in the practical details, if the turbine tries to run at the wrong speed it is fighting against the whole of the rest of the power that is being generated in the electricity grid, so it loses the fight. As the wind speed changes, the amount of power generated changes. If the wind speed is too low, the generator acts in reverse as a motor to drive the turbine. (Of course in practice the turbine would be stopped completely, instead of doing that for a long period of time).

The rotational speed for large wind turbines is usually slow (10 or 20 rev/minute) with a gearbox to spin the generator at a higher speed. The blades are variable pitch so they can work efficiently at different average wind speeds.

admin answers:

I’m putting together a small wind turbine. Check my web page for pictures, diagrams, and other information.

Http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html