Test campaign of a ducted wind turbine in real operating conditions

¹ Ghibli Srl, Via Garibaldi 92, 15067 Novi Ligure (AL), Italy
² Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy

Abstract

Wind turbine installation worldwide has increased at unrested pace, as it represents a 100% clean energy with zero CO₂ and pollutant emissions. However, visual and acoustic impact of wind turbines is still a drawback, in particular in urban areas. This paper focuses on the performance evaluation of an innovative horizontal axis ducted wind turbine, installed in the harbour of Genova (Italy) in 2018: the turbine was designed in order to minimize visual and acoustic impacts and maximize electrical energy production, also during low wind speed periods. The preliminary study and experimental analyses, performed by the authors in a previous study, showed promising results in terms of energy production, compared to a traditional generator ( factor >2.5 on power output). In the present paper, the test campaign on a scaled-up prototype, installed in the urban area of Genova, is performed, with a twofold objective: (i) comparison of the ducted innovative turbine with a standard one, in order to verify the increase in energy production; (ii) analysis of the innovative turbine for different wind speeds and directions, evaluating the influence of ambient conditions on performance. Finally, based on the obtained results, an improved setup is proposed for the ducted wind turbine, in order to further increase energy production mitigating its visual impact.