Study on Renewable Energy Resources, Oman - authority for ...

Renewable Energy Resources in Oman
5 Renewable energy technologies
5.1 Wind turbines
Energy conversion principle
A wind turbine utilises the kinetic energy of the air flow. The power content in
the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed and the air density.
The energy in the wind is converted into rotational energy by the wind turbine
rotor. The conversion can be made either by aerodynamic forces acting on the
rotor blades or by the air pressure acting on the rotor blades.
The rotational energy can be converted into electrical energy via a generator be
utilised for mechanical work.
Technology
Grid connected wind turbines
The technology for grid connected wind turbines is well proven and wind turbines
have been commercially available for more than twenty years. The capacity
of the first commercially available wind turbines in the 1980'es was in the range
15 -55 kW. The capacity has gradually increased and to day the wind turbine capacity
is in the range between 1 and 5 MW.
The wind turbine industry invests large amount in R&D activities in order to improve
the cost effectiveness of wind turbines. This is done in order to optimise
the design to reduce the use of material and to improve the reliability of the technology
in order to reduce the O&M costs.
The modern grid connected wind turbine is a three bladed, pitch regulated turbine
with the nacelle mounted on the top of a tubular tower.
The hub height of a modern wind turbine is in the order of 60 to 90 m and the
rotor diameter is between 60 and 90 m depending on the capacity of the wind
turbine.
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