Wind environment at a roof-mounted wind turbine on a peaked roof building. Issue 2 (7th February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hakimi, Rohan; Lubitz, William David
• Is Part Of: International journal of sustainable energy. Volume 35:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 172
• Page End: 189
• Publication Date: 2016-02-07
• Subjects: small wind turbine -- peaked roof -- wind resource assessment -- wind tunnel -- wind speed -- turbulence; Solar energy -- Periodicals; Renewable energy sources -- Periodicals; 621.4705
• DOI: 10.1080/14786451.2014.910516
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1478-6451

Abstract

Abstract : Knowledge of the wind resource above peaked roofs is necessary to determine whether installing small wind turbines on low-rise peaked roof buildings is feasible. The wind characteristics at a representative peaked roof barn in southern Ontario, Canada were investigated using a boundary layer wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics. Field measurements at the barn were collected using sonic anemometers and compared with the simulation results. Wind speed amplification was confined to a region immediately above the roof and was relatively low for wind energy purposes. The presence of nearby trees or buildings adversely impacted wind speed amplification. Considering only wind-related factors, the placing of micro-wind turbines on roof peaks may be warranted. However, if sufficient space is available, it is recommended to place small turbines on a tower rather than on the peaked roof of a low-rise building.