ABSTRACT
The design of the most delicate part of a small wind power installation, its support structure, requires no special algorithms or models: the classical formulas and methods of civil engineering are enough for a safe design. It is possible to build the support tower of a wind turbine with a large variety of materials and shapes. In some cases, it is necessary to stiffen the support tower with steel stays or struts, in order to minimize the oscillations of its top and the fatigue stress deriving from such vibrations. In industrialized countries, the simplest—and often the cheapest—solution is to build the turbine's support structure with a standardized steel pole or tower, like the ones employed in public lighting and medium/low voltage distribution lines. Dimensioning a structure requires defining first all possible loads acting on it, and their combinations.
