Wind-Diesel Systems: A Guide to the Technology and its Implementation

Wind is currently the most promising renewable source of energy. After considerable technical development, wind turbine technology is now entering a period of rapid commercialization, especially where it applies to individual farmsteads, small communities in many remote or island areas, and in much of the developing or underdeveloped world where there is no access to an electric grid supply. This book looks at how, by integrating a wind turbine into such communities, fuel consumption can be reduced and money can be saved. Technically this is not easy, because variations in the wind that occur from second to second can cause power quality and logistic problems. Wind diesel technology has to date been largely a research topic. However, the experts who have written this book and who have collaborated since 1985 on a technical basis under the auspices of the International Energy Agency, recognize that the relevant knowledge, understanding, and hardware are now sufficiently well advanced to allow commercial, reliable schemes to be implemented. This book aims to speed this process by offering a comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of the technology for possible developers.

This book is the result of a five-year study by a group of experts working on the development of wind-diesel technology under the auspices of the International Energy Agency . The book defines cost-effective models and techniques for obtaining wind and load data necessary for planning; specifies decentralised wind-energy conversion system installations; applies and develops models suitable for analysing the performance of wind-diesel systems; and presents a sound analytical basis for planning and designing wind-diesel systems.