If you are in the early stages of assessing the viability of a wind turbine, or are at the stage of choosing which model is the best turbine for your site, there is a vast amount of information to consider. This is the first in a series of blog posts titled “The importance of:”, where we will aim to breakdown the key factors that should be considered for any wind project. Our first instalment is why rated wind speed is important.
The importance of: rated wind speed.
As you carry out your research you will come across a number of terms in manufacturer specifications, one these will be rated wind speed.
This is the minimum wind speed at which the turbine will produce its rated output. For example, a 10 kW turbine with a rated wind speed of 11 m/s will only output 10 kW once wind speed is 11 m/s and above.
For this factor to be meaningful, a comparison needs to be made between turbines with the same rated output. For example, a CF 20 20 kW turbine has a rated wind speed of 9 m/s whilst another 20 kW turbine on the market has a rated wind speed of 14 m/s. This means that the CF 20 will be achieving its maximum output more often than the competing product.
This is by no means a critical factor in its own, but one of the many considerations when selecting a turbine. In our next instalment we will be looking at the importance of swept area as we build up a picture of what makes an effective wind turbine.
