Seismic Load Analysis of Wind Turbines by Response Spectrum Approach

Wind energy is developing very fast in China and nowadays China owns the second largest wind power capacity in the world. A great number of wind turbines have been planted in the seismic active regions of China, for example, Beijing, Inner Mongolia. The seismic loads of these wind turbines need to be evaluated. In this paper, seven wind turbines are analyzed by the seismic response spectrum method, in which Chinese spectrum is applied. The base shear and base moment are calculated and the profiles of the shear and moment along the tower are investigated. Finally, the equations of the seismic loads are given, based on the numerical results.