Theoretical analysis of the performance of a small wind energy converter

Abstract This thesis has been done in Barcelona, Spain, in cooperation with the University of Gävle (HiG) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). At UPC there is a project carried out where the goal is to analyze the characteristics and performance of the wind turbine IT-100, with an intention to optimize it. This is carried out by assignment of Engineers Without Borders and Practical Action. The purpose of the thesis has been to present what power, value of tension and current the turbine will produce in different wind velocities. The IT-100 is built to generate electricity to the population in the countryside in, among other countries, Peru. The energy the turbine captures from the wind will be used to charge vehicle batteries that are used in the households as a source of electricity. This is an effective, cheap and environmental-friendly way of supplying households with electricity. The idea of using the energy in the wind has been known for thousands of years. It started with simple windmills for grinding grain and later more complicated machines like wind turbines were created. Wind power is one of the worlds cleanest sources of energy with as good as no emissions at all while in running. The result of the work with this thesis work is an Excel file where the, by the purpose requested, parameters are presented in relation to different wind velocities. With some conditions set from the start, some known values of reference and the rotor blades rotational speed as a key variable, these parameters were possible to calculate. During the work, the project came upon some difficulties such as; not enough information about the wind turbine, too little previous knowledge among the students and trouble with the Spanish language. However, on the whole the project has been successful and a good learning experience