Wind energy in the built environment

Abstract

This thesis deals with wind energy conversion in the built environment. It gives a description of the wind resources in the built environment that can be converted into energy by a wind turbine. With a focus on maximum energy yield of the wind turbine, it especially deals with the integration of wind turbine and building in such a way that the building concentrates the wind energy for the wind turbine. Three different basic principles of such "buildings that concentrate the wind" or concentrators are distinguished: - wind turbines at the roof or sides of buildings, - wind turbines between two airfoil-shaped buildings, - wind turbines in ducts through buildings. The aerodynamics of those three concentrators with their possible wind turbines are investigated with a focus on integration resulting in maximum energy yield of the wind turbine. The complicated concentrator effects of buildings in the actual flow are simplified to their basic aerodynamic qualities in parallel flow. The properties of these simplified qualities in parallel flow are explored through the three well-known cornerstones of aerodynamic research: mathematical models, verification with measurements and numerical simulations of the flow. The mathematical models are derived with simplified mathematical flow descriptions. The measurements are carried out in the open jet wind tunnel of Delft University of Technology, section Wind Energy and the simulations are performed with a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, which solved the basic flow equations numerically. The advantages of both verification tools: measurement and CFD calculation are exploited by pre-selecting the tool with the best prospects for an accurate result in a desired situation. This thesis gives a broad description of the most important issues concerning the energy yield of a wind turbine in the built environment. It provides descriptions of the average/ global wind speed in the built environment, the local wind speed, the wind speed near buildings and verification of the mathematical models of the three possible concentrator principles mentioned above. Furthermore, it provides information on suitable wind turbines for use in the built environment. The pros and cons of the three concentrator principles are summarized, without mathematics, in the last chapter. This last chapter shows that the "at roofs of buildings" configuration and a variation on the "in ducts through buildings" configuration are promising. Concerning the "at roofs of buildings" configuration, a sphere-like building concentrates the energy in omnidirectional free stream wind the most: a factor of three to four! Such concentrators are able to overcome the problem of the low average wind speed in the built environment and enable energy yields comparable to rural areas. A variation on the "in ducts through buildings" configuration, two ducted ellipsoids in a cross with the duct at the cross centre, is able to concentrate the energy in omnidirectional free stream wind with a factor of approximately one and a half. The other concentrators provide a smaller energy concentration. The "close to a building" configuration is very efficient in using the acceleration by the building and it is a relatively cheap solution compared to the other possible concentrator principles. Still, this thesis shows that the energy yield for all concentrator configurations is limited because the wind turbines can only profit from the concentrator effects when they are relatively small compared to the building. Yet, they deliver the energy, where it is needed, the built environment, and their energy yield is felt as an energy saving in the building. Consequently, their energy yield is reflected in energy savings on the customers bill from the utility company, which is a higher reimbursement compared to rural areas. It is thus concluded that wind energy conversion in the built environment making use of the concentrator effects of buildings, is a promising renewable energy source.