Unlike Europe's wide open spaces, little attention has been given to the assessment of wind power resources in an urban setting, under typical rooftop conditions. An EU-funded initiative is investigating this exciting commercial opportunity.
Small wind turbines are generally associated with isolated rural areas;
however, their largest potential market lies in urban areas as 80 % of
Europe's residents live in cities. Furthermore, the EU Directive
2010/31/EU on Energy Performance of Buildings requires that by the end
of 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero energy buildings.
The
WINDUR (Small wind turbine for urban environments) project will support European small and medium-sized enterprises in the supply chain of small wind turbines. The consortium includes suppliers of wind turbine components, manufacturers, installers and a wind resource consultancy, and will design and develop turbines that comply with EU standards.
Urban environments are characterised by turbulence, gusts and wind flows that are multidirectional and highly variable in speed. These challenges will be addressed by the WINDUR project.
Project partners propose a small vertical axis wind turbine mounted on the rooftops of domestic buildings and optimised for use in urban environments. The turbine will feature a variable speed control system that will maximise energy yield under rapidly changing wind speeds.
In addition, the turbine has an aerodynamic design based on a helical rotor to reduce rotor weight and load on the roof. Researchers have also begun to conduct an assessment of wind resources in urban areas, characterising those locations with better wind resources.
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