Feasibility analysis of a Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine installation in the rooftop of a building

Francesco Balduzzi, Alessandro Bianchini, Ennio Antonio Carnevale, Lorenzo Ferrari and Sandro Magnani

Applied Energy, 2012, vol. 97, issue C, 929 pages

Abstract: The renewed interest that is being paid by architects, project developers and local governments to small-size wind turbines is mainly connected to the attractive prospects of future applications in the urban environment; the delocalized power production of these systems could indeed provide an effective answer to both the growing demand for renewable energy and the increased attention in buildings with a sustainable and low-energy design. In particular, Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are being considered as one of the most attractive solutions due to their low visual impact, the reduced acoustic emissions and their better response to a turbulent and skewed oncoming flow. The feasibility of this scenario has, however, to be proved yet; in particular, doubts are still connected to the real producibility in a complex terrain like the urban one and to the compatibility of microeolic machines with a densely populated area. On these assumptions, the aim of this work is to critically evaluate the energetic suitability of a Darrieus VAWT installation in the rooftop of a building in a reference European city. With this goal in mind, a numerical CFD analysis was carried out to characterize the flow field in the rooftop area of buildings with different shapes and geometrical proportions: the flow velocity modulus and direction were calculated for different oncoming wind profiles and the results were projected into a net available wind distribution in the rooftop of each building. As a second step, in order to provide a reliable estimation of the real functioning of the turbine in the investigated environment, a specific numerical model has been developed to account for the effects of a skewed flow on the power performance of the Darrieus rotor. The results of these analyses were finally combined and synthesized in an energy-oriented study to evaluate the feasibility of a rooftop installation.

Keywords: Darrieus; VAWT; Urban context; Skewed flow; Microeolic turbine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (70)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.12.008

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