IEC to Develop Wind Turbine Standard - IEC 61400-3

September 6, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

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The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is working on a series of standards for wind turbines.

IEC 61400-3 - Design requirements for offshore wind turbines specifies requirements for assessing the external conditions at an offshore wind turbine site.

It spells out five essential design requirements to ensure the engineering integrity of these structures.

Its purpose is to provide an appropriate level of protection against damage from all hazards during the planned lifetime, according to the IEC.

The world's installed wind power capacity in 2006 was 60,000 megawatts (MW) with an average annual market growth rate of 28%, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

Generation costs fell by 50% over the last 15 years moving closer to the cost of conventional energy sources. Modern wind turbines improved dramatically in their power rating, efficiency and reliability, said the GWEC.

Although this represents only about 1% of the installed global electricity generation capacity, wind power in 2006 had a global market value of about €13 billion ($17.5 billion U.S. dollar, $21 billion CHF).

But this growth is not without its problems, according to the IEC. One problem is where to put the turbines near densely-populated areas.

Offshore locations, although more expensive to build than land-based installations, help to solve the problems of land use and disruptive noise produced by the rotor blades, said the IEC. Additionally, offshore development allows for much larger projects than are possible on land.

While the standard emphasizes the engineering integrity of the structural components of an offshore wind turbine, it also deals with subsystems such as control and protection mechanisms, internal electrical systems and mechanical systems.

Prepared by IEC Technical Committee 88, Wind Turbines, the first edition of IEC 61400-3 is scheduled for publication in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Source: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).