Implantation, Operation Data and Performance Assessment of An Urban Area Grid-Connected Small Wind Turbine

Abstract

Over the last few decades, and more prominently currently, many countries have launched and reinforced campaigns to reduce CO2 emissions from all human activities and, in the area of energy, promote energy generating technologies from low carbon, renewable sources, especially wind and solar. In recent years, this promotion of renewables can be seen in statistics as well as an extraordinary increase in plants using renewable sources. There is more activity surrounding the use of small devices installed close to consumers, such as small wind turbines (SWT). In cities, the best places to install SWT are tall buildings. The Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE-USP) has installed a 1.8 kW SWT on the University of São Paulo campus in São Paulo, Brazil. Even with low-magnitude winds at the site, the SWT installation was carried out to serve as a didactic apparatus and demonstration initiative of wind energy generation connected directly to the University’s electric grid, which already has other embedded renewable sources installed, namely photovoltaic and biogas plants. The turbine was placed on the roof of the existing High Voltage Laboratory building, leading to an operating height of 35 m. This paper presents previous local wind data measurements using a Lidar system, annual energy yield estimation calculations, and measurements, also bringing all implementation details. It reports and analyzes the operation and energy production data from three full operational years, from 2018 to 2020, discussing and concluding with further improvements of SWT from technical and economic aspects.

Power-Flow Simulations for Integrating Renewable Distributed Generation from Biogas, Photovoltaic, and Small Wind Sources on an Underground Distribution Feeder

“…Biogas Moto-Generators: G1, existing generator, rated power 75 kW and G2, planned generator, rated power 250 kW; • Photovoltaic Generators: Existing plants G3, 150 kWp and G5, 84 kWp and planned plants G6, G7, G8, G9, and G10, all rated 75 kWp; • Small Wind Generator, G4: existing generator, 1.8 kW [17,18].…”