Low Speed Wind Turbine Design

The use of wind turbines for electrical power generation has been around for over one hun‐ dred years. Recent concerns over the price and environmental impacts of fossil fuels have spurred the proliferation of wind turbines in a wide range of powers. Today there is a wide variety of commercial wind power systems commercially available. Even the lower power rated turbines, however, are generally designed for relatively high wind speeds, typically around 10 to 15 m/s [4]. At lower wind speeds typical of many inland sites in South East Asia the commercially available wind power systems do not produce a significant amount of power. This either excludes them from use, or results in very inefficient power extraction in lower wind speed regions. With careful design of the turbine and generator, power pro‐ duction greatly in excess of commercial turbines is possible at lower wind speeds. This will allow the use of wind power in applications in remote areas of South East Asia and around the world where low wind speeds prevail. This would include power for remote meteoro‐ logical telemetry stations, radio repeaters, rural habitations and schools as well as applica‐ tions requiring spark free power supplies, such as in the proximity of petroleum extraction, refining, refuelling and transportation sites and military outposts. This chapter is dedicated specifically to the design of low wind speed turbine systems. As the available power in the wind is significantly lower at low wind speeds we will be focusing on smaller turbines in the sub 1kW range.