Optimal wind turbine design to maximize energy production

Abstract

Determining the best geometric parameters for the blade of a wind turbine is critical for maximizing energy production. This paper considers how to determine the laws which govern twist to maximize electrical energy output for a rotor with two blades, with a 10 m diameter, in a given wind site. Optimum twist was obtained by applying the ‘blade element momentum theory’. Then two different blade design methods were compared. The first, based on maximizing the power coefficient (at the average wind velocity, assuming an attack angle which maximizes the ratio of lift and drag coefficients); the second, based on maximizing the annual energy production for the turbine object of this study, in a given wind site.