Description This report provides guidance on the most effective height and location for wind turbine installations on the roofs of tall buildings. It describes research to characterise the wind conditions over a range of building heights from 15 m to 80 m and to provide advice on the height and location of wind turbine installations to maximise their potential for wind power generation. There is an increasing trend to mount wind turbines on the roofs of tall buildings where they have the potential to generate useful levels of energy due to the advantages from increased wind resource at these heights and the reduced shelter and turbulence from surrounding buildings. However, there is limited advice available regarding the most effective height and location for wind turbine installations on the roofs of tall buildings. Inappropriate siting of the turbines can lead to installations which do not realise their full potential resulting in severely limited power generation possibilities. Contents Executive summary 1 Introduction 2 Description of the project Description of the models Trial measurements Measurement details 3 Results Effect of measurement height - Mean wind speed variation with height - Turbulence intensity variation with height Effect of building height and building plan dimensions - Characterisation of the separated flow region 4 Discussion Minimum acceptable turbine heights Diameter of turbine blades 5 Conclusion 6 References Annex A Mean velocity and turbulence intensity ratio contour plots 46pp Illustrations 91 line drawings, 4 photos Other publications that may be of interest
Micro-wind turbines in urban environments - an assessment.
Siting micro-wind turbines on house roofs.