Switched Reluctance Generator for Low Speed Wind Turbines with Counter-Rotary Drive

Background/Objectives: To design a new type of switched reluctance generator for low speed wind turbines which operate at low speed wind. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Structure and operation principle of the proposed switched reluctance machine are described. The generator-wind turbine is a direct-drive one and has two mobile parts which can be droved by two wind turbines in counter-rotary motion. A test bench was achieved and two types of experiments were realized: first, with a part of the generator fixed and the other in rotary motion, and second with the both parts in motion. Findings: Using the counter-rotary motion it results an important increasing of the output voltage of the generator for the same speed. The generator can be used both for the turbines with horizontal or vertical axle, with some advantages for the vertical axes case, especially in urban area, where safe operation of vertical axis wind turbines requires low rotational speeds to reduce noise, mechanical vibrations and proximity hazards. Applications/Improvements: The proposed direct-drive generator is more efficient than the classical structure with gears and the simple rotary motion.