Wind turbines began cropping up across the landscapes of Spain and Germany in the 1990s’. These two countries have the highest wind energy production in the EU. But according to the Global Wind Energy Council, the global installed power capacity in Europe — which is 134,007 MW — has been surpassed by Asia with 141,964 MW, at the end of 2014. The wind power industry is arguably the most mature — and fastest developing — among renewable energies. But, there is still considerable room for improvement to compete with other sources of electricity.
Even though energy distribution and management, play a crucial role in wind energy uptake across Europe, reducing cost—by relying on research and development (R&D)—is of the challenge currently explored. For example, this is the aim of the European research consortium WINDTRUST.
The project plans to reduce costs by improving the reliability of key components of the turbine. “We are focusing on further enhancing the design of three key components with high improvement potential: the rotor blades, the power electronics and the wind turbine controller,” says Mauro Villanueva, director of technology development at Gamesa, the wind turbine company that leads the consortium, who is also project coordinator.
For the full article, please see the WINDTRUST Website.