WARP: a modular wind power system for distributed electric utility application

Steady development of wind turbine technology, and the accumulation of wind farm operating experience, have resulted in the emergence of wind power as a potentially attractive source of electricity for utilities. Since wind turbines are inherently modular, with medium-sized units typically in the range of a few hundred kW each, they lend themselves well to distributed generation service. A patented wind power technology, the Toroidal Accelerator Rotor Platform (TARP) windframe, forms the basis for a proposed network-distributed, wind power plant combining electric generation and transmission. While heavily building on proven wind turbine technology, this system is projected to surpass traditional configuration windmills through a unique distribution/transmission combination, superior performance, user friendly operation and maintenance, and high availability and reliability. Furthermore, its environmental benefits include little new land requirements, relatively attractive appearance, lower noise and EMI/TV interference, and reduced avian (bird) mortality potential. Its cost of energy is projected to be very competitive, in the range of from approximately 2c/kWh to 5c/kWh, depending on the wind resource