Trends In Electrical System Technology for Wind Turbines

The last 20 Years or so has seen the transformation of the wind industry from an environmental niche to a major international business. As this commercialisation has occurred, the industry has changed, and become market driven. This paper will look at the development of the electrical system within the overall wind turbine, and relate this to the market drivers of the time, from the first fixed speed turbines, to the variable speed turbines of today. Given the increasing demands of electricity and the growing market for wind energy, the industry will continue to be driven by the market for some time to come. This paper therefore gives a view of the emerging technologies that could influence the continued development of the electrical system, and how it might change over the next twenty years.