Book Review: Wind Energy Engineering

Wind Energy Engineering,
by Pramod Jain, McGraw-Hill Professional, 352 pg.
ISBN 978-0-07-171477-8

For those who want a grounding in the physics and basic engineering of wind turbines, this book probably isn't a bad place to start. The author, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. who consults in wind projects, starts with an overview of the wind energy business and quickly gets into the basics of wind energy and power. Specific chapters cover the properties of wind, the aerodynamics of wind turbine blades, wind measurement, and a particularly large section on how to assess wind resoures at specific sites. The discussion gets down to the component level with a chapter on wind turbine components, the basics of electricity and generators, and deploying wind turbines in electrical grids.

Not all topics are on the level of basic physics. Chapters covering the environmental impact of wind turbines, financial modeling of wind projects, and planning a wind project are oriented toward managers who oversee large-scale turbine installations.

There are also advanced sections on topics such as vertical wind turbine aerodyamics, constant-speed and variable-speed turbines, power curves, and assessing probabilities of extreme wind speeds.

All sections include useful references, but instructors interested in using Wind Energy Engineering as a text book should note there are no questions at the end of its chapters.