Wind Power Energy
With 55% of the overall installed capacity at the end of 2008, Europe is a leader in the generation of wind power. For the next five years, forecasts predict that the US and China alone will account for over 50% of newly-installed wind turbine capacity. This industry is expected to develop strongly and all over the world with global newly-installed capacity expected to double between 2008 and 2020, from 30GW/year to 60GW/year*.
Power semiconductors are a vital component used in wind turbine converters. Power electronic converters enable the efficient conversion of the variable frequency output from the generator to a fixed frequency appropriate for the grid in the region concerned.