ABSTRACT
In the process of assessing changes in the design of a wind turbine, it is important to evaluate the impact that design decisions have on such performance and operation aspects as power generated, potential operation lifetime, purchase and operation costs, and the cost of electricity it produces. The chapter examines some of the aspects in the form of a Trade Study. It shows that the maximum deflection components increase linearly with rotor radius. In order to investigate the economic impact of the design decisions there needs to be an understanding of the conditions at specific site. This includes wind speed occurrence data, the hub height for the wind turbine, and the cut-in, rated and cut-out wind speeds for the design. The chapter also examines the trends for the range of rotor radii and cut-in wind speed. It shows the trends in the purchase and installation costs of a wind turbine as a function of the rotor diameter.
