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C

Crosswire

Ok, if electricity in a wind turbine is generated by the wind spinning a coil in a magnet, how does it match the frequency of mains electricity (i.e.50 Hz) when the wind blows faster and slower all the time?

Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers... :) (at least that's what they told me at school)
 
through an inverter, same as solar???
 
through an inverter, same as solar???

Yup - on a summer day with scattered clouds my solar PV can go from >3kW to <1kW to >3kW output several times an hour - as variable as the wind on a gusty day.
One of my strings is seven panels of 30Volts at peak power, so around 210Volts while the other string is eight panels, so around 240Volts.

The inverter's electronics sorts out the two unequal and constantly changing inputs into a 235-240Volt output with Amps varying.
 
Yup - on a summer day with scattered clouds my solar PV can go from >3kW to <1kW to >3kW output several times an hour - as variable as the wind on a gusty day.
One of my strings is seven panels of 30Volts at peak power, so around 210Volts while the other string is eight panels, so around 240Volts.

The inverter's electronics sorts out the two unequal and constantly changing inputs into a 235-240Volt output with Amps varying.

Ok cool. I knew an inverter converted DC to AC, didn't realise it sorted the frequency as well. Thanks for that.
 
I'll ask the engineers at the fullabrook site next time I pass, they might as well live there given the frequency of their visits :lol:
 
Small turbines use inverters to connect to the grid. Large MW sized ones use 'frequency converters' to ensure synching with the grid frequency, but these are just basically combined rectifier/inverter setups in any case. They also incorporate variable pitch (computer controlled) blades so can vary blade rpm in changing wind conditions to help balance everything out.
 
Small turbines (especially magnet) have spikes due to wind gusts so it's not as easy to match an inverter such as PV. Would double check which inverter to match before anything else.
 
As far as I understand it with the smaller wind turbines, the turbine output is a variable frequency (related to the rpm of the turbine). This output is effectively rectified & smoothed to make DC, then it is chopped up by a thiristor to make a square wave ac, then various (clever, clever) processes make this into a sine wave ac. Obviously, this is the "idiots guide" to the theory, but I think that's roughly how it is achieved!
 

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