Automatically regulated C.V.T. in wind power systems

The conversion of wind energy into electric power is particularly problematic owing to the changes in wind speed. Previous papers have considered the feasibility of incorporating a continuously variable transmission (C.V.T.) between a wind turbine and an electric generator and have assessed the advantages of such a system in terms of efficiency. However, these papers did not suggest the type of regulator or control system to be used for the C.V.T. Following the general recommendation of using efficient, reliable and economical technologies in wind power systems, this paper has investigated whether a continuously variable transmission with automatically adjustable speed was compatible with a wind power system. The investigation has relied on numerical simulations reproducing the behaviour of a wind power system. The paper also hypothetically sited such turbine-C.V.T.-generator systems in locations with available wind data in order to have tangible proof of the advantages of using the C.V.T. proposed.