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This practical book deals with the technology of small-power wind turbines as opposed to widely diffused industrial wind turbines and wind farms. It covers the most common wind turbine technologies in the small power segment: horizontal axis both for electrical generation and water pumping, vertical axis of the Darrieus type, and vertical axis of the Savonius type. With each chapter following the same didactic scheme—a theoretical explanation and practical examples showing calculation procedures—it allows anybody with basic technical knowledge to design and build a small wind turbine for any site. A set of simple spreadsheets is available for download, each providing further examples of how to solve specific design problems and allowing the reader to play with changing parameters and see what-if. This simple trial-and-error learning process allows beginners to develop the feeling of the orders of magnitude involved in the design of a small wind power system, its potential advantages on other alternative solutions, and its limitations under some special circumstances.

Wind Energy Systems is designed for undergraduate engineering courses, with a focus on multidisciplinary design of a wind energy system. The text covers basic wind power concepts and components - wind characteristics and modeling, rotor aerodynamics, lightweight flexible structures, wind farms, aerodynamics, wind turbine control, acoustics, energy storage, and economics. These topics are applied to produce a new conceptual wind energy design, showing the interplay of various design aspects in a complete system. An ongoing case study demonstrates the integration of various component topics, and MATLAB examples are included to show computerized design analysis procedures and techniques.