Wind power: the industry grows up

In her timely new book, best-selling author Rebecca Busby provides a balanced, comprehensive view of the wind power industry: "required reading for people who want to obtain an initial overview of this most interesting energy field." The book enables readers to: Expand their knowledge of the environmental and economic issues associated with wind power development Understand the steps involved in developing a wind farm and the best ways to operate it successfully and profitably; Find out how wind energy is integrated into power grids and transmission networks, including the growing use of technologies for energy storage; Get an overall picture of the global wind business and the deployment of offshore wind power; Learn the basics of how wind power is generated and used, how wind turbines work, and how wind power systems are designed; Understand how wind energy is measured and evaluated at prospective sites with included maps of wind resources worldwide; Review the status of global wind energy research, technology development, and product testing, as well as advanced wind power generation concepts. --

Overview: How Wind Power Works -- Components : What's a Wind Turbine Made Of? -- Wind Power System Design : Combining Strength and Flexibility -- Small Wind Power : Traditional Systems and Alternative Designs -- Assessment : Mapping and Measuring the World's Wind -- Wind Farms : Developing and Operating Wind Power Plants -- Wind Power Integration : Striking a New Balance --

Transmission and Energy Storage : Facilitating Wind Power Integration -- Offshore Wind : Entering the Mainstream -- Advanced Technologies : R & D, Testing, and New Twists on Old Ideas -- The Global Wind Industry : Markets, Business, and Government Policy -- Environmental and Economic Issues : Wind Power Grows Up --

Appendix A: Wind Turbine Design Equations -- Appendix B: Small/Alternative Wind Power Systems -- Appendix C: U.S. Offshore Wind Resource -- Appendix D: Approximating Wind Speed Distribution -- Appendix E: Selected Wind Farm Case Studies -- Appendix F: Estimating Wind Energy Costs -- Appendix G: World Offshore Wind Power -- Appendix H: Global Wind Power Capacity -- Glossary.