Engineering and Economic Models of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Abstract

The interest in sustainable forms of energy is being driven by the anticipated scarcity of traditional fossil fuels over the coming decades. There is also a growing concern about the effects of fossil fuel emissions on human health and the environment. Many sources of renewable energy are being researched and implemented for power production. In particular, wind power generation by vertical-axis wind turbines is one of the option often considered. This option offers a robust design because of the relative simplicity of its technology. However, it also presents challenges that are inherent to its very concept. These systems suffer from dynamic stall, noticeably one of the main causes of the loss of performance. A dual-element concept is proposed as a way of alleviating the losses due to the dynamic stall. An economic analysis is done to establish the economic viability of the model. The Great Coast of Senegal is selected as a site of operation in this study.