ABSTRACT

Until the middle of the twentieth century, wind turbine designs failed to provide the reliability and efficiency needed for serious consideration as electric power producers. However, as with any technology, wind turbines have evolved over the years and the major innovations were made from 1990s. With the advancement in material, structure, power electronics, and control, we have now wind turbines that are proven reliable, efficient, and worthy of grid integration. These turbines are also cost effective and can produce electricity at rates comparable to conventional thermal generation. The present size of wind turbines ranges from just a few kW to 8 MW. The size is continuously increasing and we should expect 10-15 MW within a decade or two.