Wind Energy Assessment for Small Wind Turbines in Different Roof Shapes Based on CFD Simulations

Abstract

With a still high rate of use of energy from non-renewable sources, it is crucial that new energy generation solutions are adopted to reach greenhouse gas reduction targets. The integration of renewable energy sources in buildings is an interesting solution that allows reducing the need for energy from the power grid, contributing to a significant increase in the energy efficiency of buildings. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact that the aerodynamics of the buildings in particular the roof shape has considering the integration of wind energy systems. The results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are presented in order to identify the effect of the two roof shapes on energy production by wind turbines (WT). For this purpose, the factor matrices (FM) that gives information about the wind profile around the building taking into account the building’s roof profile were calculated. Comparing the results for the wind flow obtained by the FM and the CFD simulations for the flat and gabled roofs, similarities are observed for them, allowing to conclude that the CFD analysis results in a methodology with great accuracy for the aerodynamic study of buildings roof shape.