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Isolation amplifiers (iso-amps), working in conjunction with shunt resistors, provide accurate current measurements in power converters even in the presence of high switching noise. When used with a resistive divider, they work as precision voltage sensors. The current and voltage information is required by the controller for calculation and effective control in order to achieve optimum conversion efficiency in typical small wind power systems. Featured with high common mode noise rejection, high isolation voltage, built-in safety insulation, and very small footprint, miniature iso-amps provide an ideal solution for small wind power turbines.
As one of the most promising alternative energy resources, wind power will continue to grow fast, despite the financial crisis and economy recession, at an annual rate of 22.4% average for the next five years. Large wind power farms are expanding to offshore deep water regions, such as the 25-megawatt Arklow Bank Wind Park in the Irish Sea, and the Cape Wind, America's first offshore wind farm, coming with 420-megawatt capacity.
Despite the attention given to large multi-megawatt wind turbines, which are projected to continue growing both in size and number of installations, most of the opportunities for power inverter manufacturers are in the small wind turbine market (<100kW). Although the market for wind power inverters is small compare to the solar photovoltaic market, the small wind market is experiencing a number of significant developments, including the emergence of Building Integrated Wind Energy (e.g., the 1kW AVX 1000 and the 60kW Wind- Cube) and the further development of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (e.g., UGE 10KW VAWT).
Focus market for small wind turbines
The US market for small wind turbines grew 78% in 2008 with an additional 17.3MW of new capacity. This compares to 53% capacity growth worldwide with 38.7MW new installations in the same period. US manufacturers accounted for 49% of global small wind sales in 2008, maintaining their historically dominant position.
For the commercial segment of the US small wind turbine market (21-100kW), the growth was due largely to increased private equity investment that allowed manufacturing volumes to increase. The residential segment (1-10kW), the largest segment of the market, was driven by both investment and cost down with volume up. The rising residential electricity price and increased public awareness of the technology also played apart behind the growth.
In Europe, there are more than 40 established manufacturers active in the small wind power industry. Mainly located in Germany and Spain, these manufacturers produce small wind generators with power ratings from sub-kW to a few hundred kW.
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