Wind Power Generation and Wind Turbine Design

Along with rising energy demand in the 21st century and the growing recognition of global warming and environmental pollution, energy supply has become an integral and cross cutting element of every country’s economy. In recent years, more and more countries have prioritized sustainable, renewable, and clean energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, etc., as the replacements for fossil fuels. Wind power is the fastest growing alternative energy segment, providing an attractive cost structure relative to other alternative energy. Wind energy has played a significant role in North American and European countries, and some developing countries such as China and India. In 2009, over 37 GW of new wind capacity were installed over the world, bringing the total wind capacity to 158 GW. There is no doubt that wind power will play a major role as the world moves towards a sustainable energy future. This book provides engineers and researchers in both the wind power industry and energy research community with comprehensive, up-to-date, and advanced design techniques and practical approaches. The topics addressed in this book involve the major concerns in the wind power generation and wind turbine design, and include the more recent developments in wind power generation. This book is a useful and timely contribution to the wind technical community and suitable as a textbook for both undergraduate and graduate students.