Wind Turbine
Innovative Wind Turbine V-Twin 100
Introduction
A wind turbine is a machine that transforms wind energy from kinetic to electrical. The basic idea behind how a wind turbine operates is that, unlike a fan, which creates wind by using energy, a wind turbine creates electricity by utilizing wind. A turbine's blades, which resemble propellers, rotate around a rotor, spinning a generator to produce power.
Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events:
- The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere
- Irregularities of the earth's surface
- The rotation of the earth.
The wind turbine that is proposed in ROBINSON project's cases is the innovative V-Twin 100, designed by the Renewable Energy Systems & Technology UG (REST).
Technical description
Sketch of the novel wind turbine developed by REST
Renewable Energy Systems & Technology UG (REST) designed the unique wind turbine, V-Twin 100 with a nominal power output of 100 kW - i.e., two turbines with 50 kW each - to optimally exploit wind as the (primary) energy source on Eigerøy. The technical specifications of the novel Wind Turbine are presented in Table. The left figure depicts an example (drawing) of the prototype wind turbine. The investment cost of the wind turbine has been approximately calculated at 150,000 euro, which makes a specific investment cost – or CAPEX – of 1500 euro/kWp. The total lifetime of the suggested system is 20-30 years, if properly maintained (Herenčić et al., 2021).
Technical specifications of the V-Twin 100
|
Parameter |
Value |
Unit |
|
Nominal power output |
100 |
kW |
|
Max net. delivered power |
90 |
kW |
|
Max. electrical power gradient |
45 |
kW/s |
|
Min. electrical power gradient |
0.5 |
kW/s |
|
Operation hours/capacity factor |
~44 (Eigerøy) |
% |
Technology requirements and operating conditions
A modular method with two-blade rotors, largely made of steel, will be used to decrease the number of components as well as the required area. The absence of a gearbox in the wind turbine minimizes complexity and material consumption (without oil).
The V-Twin 100 wind turbine will be built on the island, adjacent to the Prima Protein manufacturing facility, and will be linked to the Prima Protein microgrid. It has a nominal delivery power of 100 kW and is fitted with an inverter. The wind turbine features two 13.4-meter-diameter rotors that run in tandem (50 kW each).
Figure 2 presents the Wind Turbine’s power curve highlighting the cut-in wind speed equal to 2.5 m/s and the cut-off wind speed which equals 19.5 m/s. Figure 2 also proves the almost linear dependence between the Annual Energy Yield and the average wind speed.
The calculated power output profile of the V-Twin 100 and Annual Energy Yield