Description

The demand for electricity is increasing day by day and the power utilities are now exploring various alternatives for increasing the generation of electricity to meet the increased demand. Increasing the generation of electricity using fossil fuels leads to increased atmospheric pollution mainly due to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2). Minimization of green house effect by reducing CO2 and other emissions is a challenging issue today. Alternate energy sources, on the other hand, are gaining popularity over the conventional energy sources as they are environment friendly. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, help in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels thereby reducing the green house gas emissions. Wind energy generation systems are becoming more popular, nowadays, as they are the most competitive and environment friendly. Large numbers of wind turbines are erected around the world and many projects are under progress. In 1980s, wind turbine power ratings were few tens of kilowatts only whereas today, wind turbine ratings are in megawatts.