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renewable energy. Wind turbine capacity has increased over time. In 1985, typical turbines had a rated capacity of 0.05 megawatts (MW) and a rotor diameter of 15 meters. Today’s new wind power projects have turbine capacities of about 2-MW onshore and 3- to 5-MW offshore. Commercially available wind turbines have reached 10-MW capacity, with rotor diameters of up to 164 meters. The average capacity of wind turbines increased from 1.6 MW in 2009 to 2 MW in 2014 [7].

Schematic illustration of wind energy conversion system. image

      where α is perturbation factor, ρ is density of the air, A is swept area of the blades, and uo is speed of the upstream wind.

      The wind turbines are largely classified into Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT). As the name implies, the HAWT has their blades rotating on an axis parallel to the ground. If the blades are placed in such a way that their rotational axis is perpendicular to the ground, it is called as VAWT. The HAWT can capable of producing more electricity as compared to VAWT. It is because the HAWT has more swept area than VAWT. Hence, the HAWT is generally preferred for commercial WECS. However, VAWT is used for small power applications.

       1.1.3 Fuel Cell

      The types of fuel cell are as follows:

      1 Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell

      2 Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)

      3 Alkaline fuel cell (AFC)

      4 Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)

      5 Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)

      6 Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)

      7 Reversible fuel cell

Schematic illustration of a fuel cell.

      1.1.3.1 Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

      1.1.3.2 Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

      Most of the fuel cells use hydrogen as the fuel to generate electricity, However, DMFC use methanol as a fuel input along with water. Methanol has higher energy density than hydrogen and it is easy to transport as it is like a liquid and similar to gasoline. It is a dense liquid but considered as a stable one. Its efficiency is around 40% and the operating temperature is between 50°C and 120°C. It is used as a powering circuit for laptops, cell phones, and other portable items.

Schematic illustration of proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

      1.1.3.3 Alkaline Fuel Cell

      AFCs were the widely used fuel cells in space industry. Alkaline fuel cell is also called as “Bacon fuel cell” as it was invented by Francis Thomas Bacon. It is one of the considered fuel cell design. It is similar to PEM fuel cell except for the use of alkaline membrane instead of acid membrane. It uses a solution of potassium hydroxide in water as the electrolyte and non-precious metal as a catalyst at the anode and cathode. It uses hydrogen as fuel and pure oxygen to produce water and electricity. Because of its efficiency greater than 60%, it is used in space industries.

      1.1.3.4 Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell

      It was the first commercial fuel cell in the mid-1960s. PAFC uses phosphoric acid as an electrolyte. The electrolyte is

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