This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Makkawi, A. Articles by Muneer, T. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Evaluation of micro-wind turbine aerodynamics, wind speed sampling interval and its spatial variation

School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

AN Celik, Beng Hons PhD

Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Mechanical Engineering Department 31024, Antakya, Hatay, Turkey

T. Muneer, Beng Hons PhD MSc Hons PhD DSc CEng FCIBSE MIMechE

School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK, t.muneer{at}napier.ac.uk

Large wind turbines are usually installed in areas where wind speed distributions have been observed long enough to make sure of their high efficiency. However, micro-wind turbines are mostly used in areas where wind conditions are not necessarily favourable for efficient power production. Therefore, micro-wind turbines require specific designs to work effectively in low and turbulent wind resource areas. However, because this is not the case, more experimental results are being published in recent years that report under-achieving micro-wind turbines. In the present article, a similar under-achievement is reported. The experience gained from the wind energy project undertaken at Napier University is reported, as well as the analysis of the wind speed data collected at the facility and at Edinburgh Airport, some 16 km away from it.

Practical applications: A micro-wind energy system can be one of the most promising technological solutions for producing electricity in residential applications for remote consumers as well as in urban areas provided that the problems reported in the literature are successfully tackled. The currently reported research project identifies such problems associated with micro-wind turbines, stemming from their use in urban areas on roofs of buildings. Thus, this will contribute both to the understanding of micro-wind turbines and to their possible improvements in the coming years.

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, Vol. 30, No. 1, 7-14 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0143624408096343


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?