Report EUR 25647EN2012Roberto Lacal Arántegui, main author.Teodora Corsatea and Kiti Suomalainen, contributing authors.Technology, market and economic aspects of wind energy in Europe 2012JRC wind status report

Abstract

The wind energy sector uses a mature yet continuously improvingtechnology. The reliability of wind turbines and the efficiency of energy capture are both high, yetcontinue to improvewith new designs,new components and new materials. Even non-technological aspects such as project management,better forecasts of wind energy productionand better risks assessment are contributing to increasing the competitiveness of wind power and reducing its overall cost.This is sometimes achievedeven if some cost areas can occasionally increase, e.g. capital costs due to the better qualityof components.To further increase reliability, scientists and designers require better knowledge of loads, load effects and electrical effects in the mechanical and electrical parts of the turbine. They also require materials and basic components (e.g. electronic components of the electricity subsystems) that can stand higher temperatures and perform better at normal operating temperatures. In some areas reliability is improved through more redundancy of equipment, in particular in control and power electronics