Wind Energy R&D at

the Energy Research Unit

at the STFC Rutherford Appleton

Laboratory

Jim Halliday

• Background to the ERU and UK wind

energy

• Current projects

– Wind SUPERGEN

– PowerPredict

– UKERC

Introduction to the

Energy Research Unit

(ERU)

• Research areas : Long track record of applied research in renewables (esp. wind, energy storage, solar), hydrogen (systems, production, and Networking), energy sustainability

• Near market R&D – use of outdoor test site - collaboration with industry/HEI partners

ERU Test Site

Wind Energy – current status

• The wind power capacity installed by the end of 2009 will, in a normal

wind year, produce 4.8% of the EU’s electricity.

• In 2009, for the second year running, more wind power was installed

than any other power generating technology, accounting for 39% of

total new installations.

• Over 10 GW of wind power capacity was installed in 2009 - 23% more

than in 2008.

• In 2009, 2.8% of Europe’s total wind power was offshore.

• 192,000 people in the EU are employed by the wind industry

• Improving the design and layout of wind farms.

• Increasing the reliability, accessibility and efficiency of

wind turbines.

• Optimising the maintenance, assembly and installation of

offshore turbines and their substructures.

• Demonstrating large wind turbine prototypes and large,

interconnected offshore wind farms.

• New methods of grid management to allow high levels of

wind power in the system.

Key areas for wind energy research:

ERU’s Recent Research

Research Industrial

Prof W E Leithead, Strathclyde University

Prof P J Tavner, Durham University

Prof A Brown, Manchester University

Dr A G Dutton, STFC Rutherford

Appleton Laboratory

Dr P Hancock, University of Surrey

Prof P Hogg, University of Manchester

London

Mr C Mingham, Manchester Metropolitan

University

Dr S Watson, Loughborough University

Prof S Williamson, Manchester University

AMEC Wind Energy

Areva T&D UK Ltd.

Chell Instruments

Econnect Ltd.

E.ON UK Renewables Ltd.

ESR Network

Garrad Hassan & Partners Ltd.

HR Wallingford Ltd.

New & Renewable Energy Centre

Ltd.

ScottishPower Generation Ltd.

Smart Fibres Ltd.

Vestas Blades Ltd

SUPERGEN Wind

Theme Leader – Structural Loads

and Materials

Supergen Wind objective : To undertake research to

improve the cost-effective reliability & availability of existing

and future large-scale wind turbine systems in the UK

Structural Loads and Materials (1 of 4 Themes)

• Wind turbine component design

• Aerodynamic estimation for operational control

• Active load reduction

• Engineering large wind turbines

RAL working on blade model, new materials, and

“smart” blades

SUPERGEN Wind

Highlights of Theme (Structural

Loads and Materials)

• Control improvements to reduce wind turbine loads

• Single and array models produced for turbine wakes

• New composite materials tested to improve blade

strength/lifetime, reduce Radar Cross Section, and

improve lightning performance

• Parametric finite

element blade model

for the assessment of

innovative materials

and “smart” blade

performance

SUPERGEN Wind

Phase 2

2010-2014

The offshore wind farm as a power station:

Resource, Reliability, Scaling/Control, Lifetime costs

Wind power forecasting

• EPSRC & EU funded work

• Used daily in EirGrid’s Dublin Control Room

• Further developed in second EU project

• =>Spin-out company

• PowerPredict software

• =>Real-time trial

Superconducting Turbines > 5MW

Long-Life CryoCooling Critical

Technology gap to be Addressed

Cryogenic Coolers for Superconducting Wind Turbines

Cryox Spinout from MRI-Land

STFC Space Cooler Technology

Fund-Raising for SuperCooler

Planck :

Distance

from Earth:

1,4m km

Links

ERU : www.eru.rl.ac.uk

Cryox : http://www.cryox.co.uk/

PowerPredict : http://www.powerpredict.co.uk/

UK Energy Research Centre

• Energy Research Atlas – updated

annual Landscape reports, Research

Register, new Roadmaps

• Energy Research Data Centre – point to

existing data sources, curation of

recent data (Research Council, Carbon

Trust smart metering trial

Links

UKERC Research Atlas : http://ukerc.rl.ac.uk/ERA001.html

UKERC Energy Data Centre : http://ukedc.rl.ac.uk/index.html