Comparison of Conventional and Superconducting Generator Concepts for Offshore Wind Turbines

This paper deals with the comparison of electromagnetic characteristics of 10 MW class direct-drive wind turbine generators for offshore wind farms. Four kinds of wind turbine generators including a conventional permanent magnet generator, a salient/nonsalient pole superconducting generator, and a fully superconducting generator are investigated. Electromagnetic characteristics for these generators have been investigated with FEM analysis. The results show that a fully and a salient pole type superconducting wind turbine generators have a potential for 10 MW class offshore wind turbine generators from the aspect of size and economical points.