An innovative wind–solar hybrid street light: development and early testing of a prototype

Abstract

An innovative renewable hybrid microgeneration unit has been designed to be fully embedded into a dedicated LED street lighting system. The key feature of this new concept is the arrangement of a multiple Savonius vertical axis wind turbine into the structure itself of the post. A photovoltaic panel is integrated to contribute to power generation. The energy is collected by a power conversion equipment along with a storage device which ensures the lighting also during windless nights. The main application of this project is the standalone street lighting, but also a grid connected option is feasible, making the system compatible with microgrid concepts. Different Savonius rotors have been designed and characterized by wind tunnel tests. The adopted cylindrical geometry has shown a maximum power factor of 0.21. A dedicated safety equipment has been designed to prevent turbine over-speed by automatic stop in extreme wind condition. A full-scale prototype of the generator/lighting system has been installed. The experimental data acquisition is currently in progress to analyse on site performance and to allow energy simulations.