Vertical axis wind turbines in cluster configurations

Abstract

Low noise emission, aesthetic design, omni-directionality, and efficient operation in turbulent wind conditions make vertical axis wind turbines promising devices to harness wind energy in urban areas. In addition, vertical axis wind turbines generate more power when placed in close proximity. This power improvement depends on the different layout and design parameters, such as the direction of rotation of wind turbines, turbine spacing, wind direction, solidity, and blade pitch angle. In the last decade, many studies have been performed to define the optimum parameters that maximize the power performance of clusters of vertical axis wind turbines. This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive review of different parameters that affect the performance of clusters of vertical axis wind turbines, and present a general guideline for selecting appropriate values for each parameter in future studies. More specifically, the main goal of this paper is to provide useful information for the design of vertical axis wind farms. Based on the optimum layouts of arrays of two and three wind turbines it was realized that a wind farm with staggered triangular clusters, where two counter down rotating wind turbines are place upstream and one wind turbine is placed downstream generates the most power output.