Advanced Component Technology - WindPact

The Wind Partnerships for Advanced Component Technology (WindPact) was started in 1999 to assist industry in lowering the cost of energy by designing and testing innovative components, such as advanced blades and drivetrains. These components are expected to be primary constituents of the low-wind-speed turbine. Researchers have also performed a range of systems studies as part of the WindPact project in an effort to answer questions like how big a wind turbine of the future should be and to explore the impact of rotor configuration on turbine design and cost.

Specific objectives of the WindPact Project include:

• Reduce the cost of wind energy through technology advancement.
• Determine probable size ranges of advanced utility-scale turbines of the next decade for U.S. application.
• Evaluate advanced concepts that are necessary to achieve objectives of cost and size for future turbines.
• Identify and solve technological hurdles that may block industry from taking advantage of promising technology.
• Design, fabricate, and test selected advanced components to prove their viability.
• Support wind industry through transfer of technology from laboratories to industry.

The cost of wind energy over the past 20 years has dropped dramatically, from 40 cents per kWh to 4 to 6 cents per kWh in 2000 in the Class 5 and 6 wind sites, not including a Production Tax Credit. Many Class 5 and 6 sites have been developed, but they are far from load centers (an average of 500 miles). In order for wind to continue its penetration of the electricity market over the next two decades, wind energy costs must decrease even further. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established a goal of achieving wind energy costs of 3.6 cents per kWh at Class 4 sites by 2012, depending on funding support. Class 4 sites represent almost 20 times the amount of developable wind resource of Class 5 and 6 sites. These Class 4 sites are also, on average, only 100 miles from major load centers.

To achieve the 3.6 cent/kWh goal, significant innovation in wind turbine design is required. An important aspect of this innovation is characterizing potential barriers to development and identifying promising technologies for overcoming these barriers. The WindPact project was established to help achieve these results. The program focuses on systems and component research. Systems studies improve the understanding of critical design elements such as turbine size, transportation limitations, erection barriers, and overall turbine configurations and how these elements will affect the turbines of the future. Component studies examined turbine rotors, blades and drivetrains to identify innovative modifications that will decrease component cost and weight.

The results of the WindPact studies, listed below, have proven valuable to laboratory staff and industry members in determining future development paths. The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Systems Studies

Blade Systems Design Studies Volume II: Preliminary Blade Designs and Recommended Test Matrix, Griffin, D.A. Global Energy Concepts, LLC. June 2004, SAND2004-0073. (PDF 9 KB)

WindPact Turbine Design Scaling Studies Technical Area 1: Composite Blades for 80- to 120-Meter Rotor; Griffin, D.A., March 2001, NREL Report No. SR-500-29492. (PDF 560 KB)

WindPact Turbine Design Scaling Studies Technical Area 2: Turbine, Rotor and Blade Logistics; Smith, K. December 2000, NREL Report No. SR-500-29439. (PDF 3.3 MB)

WindPact Turbine Design Scaling Studies Technical Area 3: Self-Erecting Tower and Nacelle Feasibility, Global Energy Concepts, March 2001. NREL Report No. SR-500-29493. (PDF 1.4 MB)

Addendum to WindPact Turbine Design Scaling Studies Technical Area 3: Self-Erecting Tower and Nacelle Feasibility, Global Energy Concepts, March 2001. NREL Report No. SR-500-29493-A. (PDF 364 KB)

WindPact Turbine Design Scaling Studies Technical Area 4: Balance-of-Station Cost. Shafer, D.A.; Strawmyer, K.R.; Conley, R.M.; Guidinger, J.H.; Wilkie, D.C.; Zellman, T.F.; Bernadett, D.W. March 2001. NREL Report No. SR-500-29950. (PDF 2.4 MB)

Component Studies

Northern Power Systems WindPact Drive Train Alternative Design Study Report. Bywaters, G.; John, V.; Lynch, J.; Mattila, P.; Norton, G.; Stowell, J.; Salata, M.; Labath, O.; Chertok, A.; Hablanian, D. January 2005, NREL Report No. SR-500-35524. (PDF 6.2 MB)

WindPact Rotor Design Study: Hybrid Tower Design. Malcolm, D.J. Global Energy Concepts, LLC. February 2004. NREL Report No. SR-500-35546. (PDF 985 KB)

WindPact Turbine Rotor Design, Specific Rating Study. Malcolm, D.J.; Hansen, A.C. March 2003. NREL Report No. SR-500-34794. (PDF 672 KB)

WindPact Turbine Rotor Design Study. Malcolm, D.J.; Hansen, A.C.; June 2002. NREL Report No. SR-500-32495 (PDF 1.3 MB)

Alternative Design Study Report: WindPact Advanced Wind Turbine Drive Train Designs Study. Poore, R.; Lettenmaier, T. February 2002, NREL Report No. SR-500-33196. (PDF 13.1 MB)