Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification - Part 7-2: Generator set - Off-grid wind turbines

2Scope / Description

This document applies to all small wind turbines (SWTs) with a swept area less than or equal to 200 m2, designed to provide electricity to isolated locations, such as systems described in IEC TS 62257-2. This document is not an exhaustive resource for the design, installation, operation or maintenance of small wind turbines and wind power systems, but rather focuses on providing strategies and recommendations to influence the use of small wind power systems (SWPS) in rural electrification projects. Only hybrid collective electrification systems (microgrids, isolated microgrids) that include SWT(s) are considered. The SWT in an isolated microgrid can be a single wind turbine or multiple wind turbines. This document does not discuss isolated microgrids that use only wind power. Figure 1 shows the general functional configuration of SWT(s) in an off-grid hybrid power system. The purpose of this document is to provide users with the appropriate reliability and safety level of the equipment during its estimated service life. It describes the minimum safety requirements and does not purport to be an exhaustive instruction manual or design specification. Compliance with this document does not relieve any person, organization or company from the responsibility of complying with all other relevant regulations. This document provides recommendations for single SWTs with a swept area of 200 m2 or less or for multiple SWTs with a total capacity of up to 100 kW in off-grid hybrid power systems. The design life of a high quality modern wind turbine is 20 years. The actual life of a SWT is subject to quite extreme loads throughout its life. This depends mainly on the reliability of the structure and moving parts of its design, as the power in the wind increases with the cube of the wind speed.