EDWTGT

Title: Evaluation and Development of Wind Turbine Generator Technologies

Summary: Renewable energy has been widely recognised as a growth area, and thus included in the ten themes of the FP7 for research and technological development. At this moment it is wind energy that is firmly in the spotlight because this is the only feasible source of renewables to be utilised economically in quantities. Traditionally, medium and large wind turbines use doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) whilst permanent magnet (PM) machines and reluctance machines have been researched for decades and have been gradually penetrating into the wind turbine market. Recently, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) machines have been attracting much attention for wind turbine applications.

However, these technologies have their advantages and drawbacks, and they have not yet been fully developed nor well compared in terms of the suitability, integration and economy for large scale wind power generation. The choice of wind turbine generator technologies would be complicated when incorporating different mechanical drive systems, power electronics and control topologies, and when used in offshore harsh environments.

This project is a collaborative scheme of research exchanges and networking. It will bring together leading scientists and engineers in the UK, Italy and China, supported by their funding bodies and industrial partners. The consortium includes five members with complementary research experiences and strengths in wind turbine generation technologies.

This exchange program is built around the work packages to develop wind turbine generation topologies, numerical models, control and optimisation algorithms, experimental tools and condition monitoring techniques. The exchanges will enable the reciprocal transfer of knowledge and technology between the members of the consortium and will be deployed by periodical meetings, workshops and seminars, individual visits, training and public lectures, which are open to external stakeholders and industrial partners.

For more information, please visit EurOcean Knowledge Gate.