Kite power in a microgrid: Design and sizing of distributed energy resources for a microgrid solution based on kite power

Airborne Wind Energy is a promising technology that is becoming the point of interest for many applications. One market in which the AWE systems can open a path as a renewable distributed generator is in offgrid communities or camps. Nowadays, this market is dominated by fossil fuel energy like diesel generators. Even though the diesel is cheap,...

Layout Optimization Methods for Offshore Wind Farms Using Gaussian Processes

Surrogate modeling is a family of engineering techniques that attracts great interest today and can be applied in many challenging fields. A big advantage of it is that surrogate models (models based on these techniques) offer reliable results by being computationally cheaper than other candidate models. The savings in computational time is...

Towards the CSM-CFD modelling of membrane wings at high Reynolds numbers

The field of Airborne Wind Energy is concerned with harvesting high-altitude wind power; the corresponding group in Delft, in particular, is investigating the suitability of a kite for this purpose. Due to the high complexity that such a system ensues, it is of interest to have a fundamental understanding of the critical aero-elastic modes of...

Dynamic analysis of two innovative tuned mass damper systems for a wind turbine using a 2-DOF model

Reducing the cost of constructing wind turbines, as well as extending their design life, are two ways of reducing the cost of energy from wind. To achieve this, this project tested two innovative tuned-mass damper systems, which reduce resonance of the tower, and do so minimizing additional mass needed on the nacelle. These TMD systems allow the...

The turning of kites: A quantification of known theories

A method is introduced to measure the in flight flow field and geometric shape of an energy producing kite. The method is applied on beach tests during controlled flight maneuvers as well as equilibrium positions. The measurements of different sensors are validated by use of independent coherence of the found results. After this the deformations...

Improving Public Acceptance of Onshore Wind Energy Projects Through Value Sensitive Design (VSD): a qualitative exploration

Wind Energy is heading towards playing a determinant role in the energy sector in the Netherlands, as it has emerged not only as the most economical way to add new capacity to the national grid, but as an important element in the country’s energy transition. The extraction and consumption of traditional sources of energy such as gas and coal are...

Influence of geometric imperfections and increasing turbine sizes on validity load transfer functions in bolted ring-flange connections

The global focus on climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels has highlighted the importance of renewable energy sources. Offshore wind turbines are being optimized and are therefore growing in size and power. <br/><br/>This research focuses on bolted ring-flange connections, a connection type that plays a crucial role in the...