Review of Contemporary Wind Turbine Concepts and Their Market Penetration

TLDR

Wind power capacity was rapidly expanding, exceeding two gigawatts per year during 1998–2002, marking a pivotal shift in the industry. The study aims to assess the market penetration and market share of various wind turbine concepts between 1998 and 2002. The authors analyzed data from the top ten suppliers, covering about 90 turbine types from 13 manufacturers and representing roughly 76 % of global installed capacity by 2002. The analysis reveals evolving trends in turbine concepts, highlighting shifts in market share and technology adoption.

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the market penetration and share of different wind turbine concepts during the years 1998–2002, a period when the increase in the wind power capacity is starting to mark an abrupt evolution (more than two GW per year). A detailed overview is performed based on suppliers market data and concept evaluation for each individual wind turbine type sold by the Top Ten suppliers over the selected five years. The investigation is processing information on a total number of approximately 90 wind turbine types from 13 different manufacturers, which have been on the Top Ten list of wind turbine suppliers during 1998 to 2002. The analysis is based on very comprehensive data, which cover approximately 76% of the accumulated world wind power installed at the end of 2002. The paper also provides an overall perspective on the contemporary wind turbine concepts, classified with respect to both their speed control ability and to their power control type. Trends for wind turbine concepts are discussed.