Impact of altitude and power rating on power-to-weight and power-to-cost ratios of the high altitude wind power generating system

Jeevan Adhikari, Rajesh Sapkota and S.K. Panda

Renewable Energy, 2018, vol. 115, issue C, 16-27

Abstract: This paper presents a static comprehensive optimization study and analysis of the high altitude wind power (HAWP) generating system based on the medium voltage AC (MV-AC) transmission. The analytical expressions for weight and cost of the transmission line, the mechanical structures (turbine + frame), the generator, and the blimp/aerostat are derived as functions of output power rating and altitude. The optimal voltages for the MV-AC transmission of the HAWP for various power ratings and altitudes are evaluated using the derived equations. The optimal transmission voltage, thus obtained is used to estimate the weight of the tether wire (transmission line) and the generator. The weight of the mechanical frame, the air-borne wind turbine (AWT), and the light gas (Hydrogen/Helium) filled blimp are also estimated for different power ratings and altitudes. The material costs of each major component of the HAWP generating system are obtained from the manufacturers' datasheets and used to compute the overall material cost. From the estimated weight and cost, the overall power-to-weight (P/W) and power-to-cost (P/C) ratios of the HAWP generating system are evaluated. Finally, the optimal operating altitude for a specific power rating that exhibits the best P/W and reasonably good P/C ratios can be selected for the development and installation of the HAWP generating system.

Keywords: High altitude wind power generating system (HAWP); P/W and P/C ratios; Optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148117307693
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:115:y:2018:i:c:p:16-27

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.08.015

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().