Wind energy is a reliable, natural and renewable electrical power supply. The high installed capacity of today's wind turbines and decreasing plant costs have shown that wind power can be competitive with conventional, more heavily polluting, fuels in the long term. Focusing on the electrical engineering aspects of wind energy, this completely revised edition provides a detailed treatment of electrical and mechanical components and their interdependency, power control and supervision in wind power plants, and the grid integration facility. The book incorporates all the recent technical developments in electrical power conversion systems and essential operating conditions. Provides guidelines for the design, construction and installation of wind power plants Presents the history of wind technology, wind resources and economics of wind energy generation Introduces operating results and cost considerations Describes the fundamental characteristics and theoretical tools of electrical and mechanical components Discusses conventional and new types of generators, converters and power electronics Offers a comprehensive treatment of grid integration including the effect of power fluctuations on harmonics Focuses on improved use of grid capacities and grid support for fixed-and variable-speed controlled wind power plants Outlines power conditioning and control systems to ensure the safe operation of plants Fully revised and updated, this new edition will continue to be the definitive resource for researchers and practitioners involved in the planning, installation and grid integration of wind turbines and power plants. The thorough approach will also prove highly beneficial to university students and practitioners in wind engineering, turbine design and manufacture and electrical power engineering.

Table of Contents

Preface. List of Nomenclature. 1. Wind Energy Power Plants. 2. Wind Energy Conversion Systems. 3. Generating Electrical Energy from Mechanical Energy. 4. The Transfer of Electrical Energy to the Supply Grid. 5. Control and Supervision of Wind Turbines. 6. Using Wind Energy. References. Index.