Oil costs have been increasing gradually for the past few years thus taking its toll on lots of us not only to individual, but also as a chain effect on the business world. Therefore, efforts have been done to look for renewable and clean technologies like the wind energy, solar energy and geothermal in order to replace the usage of oil and gas in the future. The most popular option for generating clean energy is the wind energy because of the large quantity of wind resources available in our life and also its effectiveness in converting the energy of the wind to electricity. Thanks to the research and development done by wind turbine manufacturers, even in low wind resources area energy can be produced using the wind power with the help of specialized designs of wind turbine.
List of Wind Turbine design:
- Direct Drive Design
- Vertical Axis, Drag-Based Design
- Loopwing Design
- Multi-Rotor Design
- WindSpiral Turbine Design
Wind Turbine Design for Low Wind Resources
The Best Wind Turbine Design for Low Wind Speeds
- With the advance technology of today, Windtronics has managed to introduce a wind turbine with the ability to operate even with the assistance of wind energy as low as 2 miles per hour (mph) along with a movement of 45 mph. The Windtronic’s model is not the same as most of the wind turbines available nowadays which uses a gearbox and generator located in the rotor shaft’s enclosure to convert mechanical energy from spinning blades into electricity.
- It is designed with small magnets which are built into the tips of its fan blades to help capture the current produced.
- The Windtronic’s model is also light in weight with approximately 95-lb having 6-foot diameter turbine. Due to this advanced design, it would not cause vibration and able to produce 35 to 45 decibels of sound.
- It is designed with small magnets which are built into the tips of its fan blades to help capture the current produced.
- Another best design for low wind speed area is the Savonius Rotor that is one of the best-known vertical blade designs, drag-based wind turbine.
- One of the models was produced by Helix Wind that comes with the ability to capture wind that blows as low as 10 mph from any directions.
- It would then turn the wind into energy at a volume somewhat similar to wind that passes through a tree, as compared to conventional horizontal turbines which produces up to 10 times noise level.
- This model with 35-foot of height turbine are capable of generating electricity that can provide energy to a house as well as for small business.
- One of the models was produced by Helix Wind that comes with the ability to capture wind that blows as low as 10 mph from any directions.
- Another vertical-axis wind turbine is known as the WePOWER that performs very well in low-speed wind area, plus it is also a silent worker.
- WePOWER uses a combination of lift method like the method used by traditional three-blade turbines and also drags that are used in wind-speed gauge anemometers.
- It is equipped with an airfoil that produces power at low wind speeds
- WePOWER wind turbines can be found in many places such as wind farms, building, cell towers, or at your house.
- WePOWER uses a combination of lift method like the method used by traditional three-blade turbines and also drags that are used in wind-speed gauge anemometers.
- Loopwing, a Japanese manufacturer produces its E1500 model turbine that comes with unique design shape of a propeller on an airplane wing, which is suitable for those of you who want to display aesthetically pleasing wind turbine within their house.
- The model works with the assistance of wind level as low as 3.5 mph and produces just a little bit of vibration.
- The E1500 turbine is a design especially made for houseowners with a unique wing design that operates with low vibration, and works with wind speeds as low as 1.6 m/sec.
- The model works with the assistance of wind level as low as 3.5 mph and produces just a little bit of vibration.
- Another design is a turbine that has multiple, synchronous, small rotors and with a universal joint that enables it to tilt, which was introduced by Selsam Innovations
- With the same diameter of a normal turbine, it would be able to generate the same amount of energy only with half the wind speed of the normal turbine.
- With the same wind speed of normal turbine, this model can generate six times more energy with the addition of six rotors behind the first that can sit outside the wake or previous rotors in order to ensure that they capture wind energy.
- If it is setup near sea level, the Selsam turbine would be able to generate up to 6,000 watts of energy from a wind speed of 32.5 mph.
- With the same diameter of a normal turbine, it would be able to generate the same amount of energy only with half the wind speed of the normal turbine.
One optional addition to the Selsam turbine is the blimp that can make this floating wind turbine much more powerful.
- The WindSpiral Turbine has a height of 30 ft and width of 2 feet wide. The turbine converts wind power to electricity via vertical design, a rotor/generator system (with a low speed giromill and rotating ‘air core’ motors), along with a wireless modem that enables owner to keep track on computer.
- The WindSpiral Turbine is capable of producing 1900 kilowatt hours per year in 12 mile per hour average winds.
- The WindSpiral Turbine is capable of producing 1900 kilowatt hours per year in 12 mile per hour average winds.
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