helen brown

Conclusions and empirical data from the first large scale public field trial of building mounted micro-wind turbines

Helen Brown

19th March 2009 Warwick Wind Trials+441926 312159

www.encraft.co.uk6b Park St Leamington Spa CV32 4QN UK

Agenda



• Objectives and background• Methods and scope• Data analysis

– Wind speeds– Scaling factors– Energy– Power curves

• Conclusions

Objectives and backgroundWhy did we do this?

Encraft is a low carbon technology consultancy established to accelerate the creation of an accessible mass market for

microgeneration technologies in the UK

consultancy – software and design tools – project engineering

Over 500 projects since 2003

Independent and impartial



Informed customers are the keyInformed customers are the key

Objectives and backgroundFunders



Sponsors Supporters

• Turbine owners• Formal sponsors• Supporters• Data customers

Methods and scopeSites



Methods and scopeTurbines



Ampair 600

Windsave WS1200

StealthGen D400

Air Dolphin Z1000

Swift

Methods and scopeInstrumentation



• PEET Kit– Meteo Anemometer– Novus Logbox DA– Iskrameco ME162 Watt meter

• BRE Kit– NRG Anemometer– Pace Scientific XR5-SE– Iskrameco ME162 Watt meter

Data analysisFundamentals

The fundamental question from a customer perspective is...



How accurately can we predict output from building mounted

micro-wind turbines?

How accurately can we predict output from building mounted

micro-wind turbines?

Data analysisWind speeds



Data analysisWind speeds

• Measured average wind speed is >40% lower than NOABL prediction at 16 sites

• Weibull shape factor is less than 1.6 at 18 sites



Data analysisScaling factors

Energy output predictions based on...

NOABL

... will overestimate by an approximate factor of...

16

scaled NOABL 2

measured wind speeds 2

• MIS 3003 – scaling for annual average wind speed• Encraft scheme – scaling for wind speed and “k”



Data analysisEnergy



Lillington Road (domestic property

in built up area)

Turbine:

Ampair 600

Turbine:

Ampair 600

Data analysisEnergy



Birds Hill (domestic property

in built up area)

Turbine:

Eclectic StealthGen

D400

Turbine:

Eclectic StealthGen

D400

Data analysisPower curves



West Staddon (domestic property

in rural area)

Turbine:

Windsave WS1200

Turbine:

Windsave WS1200

Data analysisPower curves



Eden Court 2 (isolated, high rise

block of flats)

Turbine:

Ampair 600

Turbine:

Ampair 600

Data analysisEnergy



• Average energy exported per day per turbine– 628 Wh

(only including times when turbines were switched on)

– 214 Wh (including times when turbines were broken or switched off for maintenance)

• Average energy consumed per day per turbine– 80 Wh

Conclusions

• Great care should be taken in selecting suitable sites for building-mounted turbines.

• Scaling factors for NOABL and the Weibull shape factor may improve wind speed predictions although more work is required in this area.

• Our data shows the (now recognised) need for an industry standard that normalises the way in which manufacturers’ power curves are produced and this data should be published.



www.warwickwindtrials.org.uk



helen brown

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