The evolution of wind turbine design analysis—a twenty year progress review

The sophistication of the analytical methods used as the basis of wind turbine design has increased enormously over the last 20 years. Beginning with simple calculations based largely on engineering intuition, the approach to wind turbine design has been transformed to the point where sophisticated computer-based analysis is now performed routinely throughout the industry. This article traces the evolution of wind turbine design analysis, examines the factors which have influenced this evolution and assesses the current state of the art. The article concludes with a discussion of the remaining areas of uncertainty and the likely future developments of wind turbine calculation methods.