Design of a wind turbine generator for rural applications

Abstract

This paper presents a wind-generation system design for rural applications. In Southern areas of Argentina, there are right conditions for wind energy exploitation. Depending on the characteristics of these areas, the wind-generation systems can operate either isolated or connected to the grid. This work particularly emphasises the design of a generator to optimise the system performance and achieve its minimum volume. The analytical design is evaluated using finite element analysis and experimentally validated using a 35 kW prototype. The tests reveal that the design procedure is suitable. The initially proposed efficiency aim was exceeded, reaching a maximum value of 94.2%. The generator operating conditions make it particularly suited for the application for which it was designed.