The Present State of Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring System

풍력 터빈 상태 감시 시스템 현황

The $9 billion US global wind energy market is experiencing dramatic growth with installed generating capacity up 500% from 7,600 MW at the end of 1997 to nearly 39,300 MW at the end of 2003. With an average annual increase approaching 32%, wind is the world's fastest growing energy source on a percentage basis, and its growth is forecast to continue a double-digit pace into the next decade 1. While much of this growth is fueled by government decisions that are favorable to 'green' or renewable Power, it is also fueled by advances in wind turbine technology as evidenced by larger, more sophisticated machines. As a result, wind turbines are becoming more established as an economically viable alternative to fossil-fueled power generation. Today, wind 'farms' - consisting of anywhere from a single turbine to as many as several hundred turbines - are an important component of the world's source of electric energy.