Design and Fabrication of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine As Micro Power Generator

Abstract

Energy surrounds us. Innovative energy harvesting techniques are needed to utilize this energy which would otherwise go unused. The renewable energy sources leave no carbon footprint in the atmosphere thus they are environmentally friendly. The renewable energy sector in Pakistan is underdeveloped. Pakistan still produces a huge chunk of its electric power from fossil fuels. The increased research and investment in the green energy will also help in fighting global warming and pollution. . Alternate energy can be obtained from wind. A paradigm shift has been observed as development of medium sized wind turbines which are aimed to urban or remote areas in recent years has shown promising results. Owing to this development, the vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have become very potent alternative to the traditional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) in changing wind speed. Darrius wind turbine is a VAWT that converts wind energy into electrical energy using lift force of air. This new energy source is useful in the modern cities because of its low noise generation. These turbines can be used in coastal areas, wind corridors and on the roof of high-rise buildings for optimal power generation. The characteristics of these turbine which make them beneficial of these are that the generator and gear box are on the ground, so the rotating tower requires little support and comparatively easy to build and maintain. The objective of this study is to study, design and fabricate H-type VAWT to maximize the power extracted from the wind. Using this configuration of wind turbine, we aim at generating energy to be utilized in households and rural areas. The results demonstrates that three blades H-type VAWT can produce sufficient electricity at radius of 0.5 m.