Variable Speed/Grid Connected Wind Turbines
Since 2000, the wind power generation market is the
fastest growing power market segment in the world.
This growth has been fueled by increases and variability in fuel costs, improvements in wind power generation technology, and a growing political movement towards "green" power sources. +If your firm is a player in this market trend and you are seeking a market edge by offering a more cost effective product, please contact us to discuss how our InfiniTran™ drive trains can provide advantages to your wind generation products.
Application
- Variable turbine speed wind generator with at constant RPM, synchronous generator
- Ideally suited for the "small generator" class (10 kW -- 100 kW) supported by recent tax and utility regulations
- Allowing turbine RPM to vary as wind speed varies yields the best overall efficiency of wind energy capture
- But for AC generation, varying turbine RPM yields varying AC frequency that can harm some electronics and cannot be sold back to the utility ("net metering")
- To acquire the economic advantages of higher energy capture through variable turbine RPM and net metering requires an AC frequency control device
- Standard Frequency Converter Yields Poor Quality Waveform -- Can't Run Precision Electronics or Tie to Grid
- Newer "Pure Sine Wave" Converters Yield Good Quality AC Waveform, but Are Expensive
- Both types have operating temperature constraints that can impact remote installations
- Broader Coverage of Required Range of Speed Ratio, RPM, Torque, and Power
- High efficiency across all critical operating points
- Eliminates Cost of High Performance Frequency Converter to Achieve Grid Synchronization
- VeriTran IVT/CVT cost comparable to existing power train -- no inverter required
- Output Waveform Quality Equal to Best of Converter Products
- Synchronous generator yields no issues with grid-tie