Design optimization and synchronization of vertical axis highway windmill hybrid with photovoltaic system

Abstract

The renewable energy resources are available abundant in our country. The rapid growth of population in recent days and the demand in conventional resources lead to the utilization of these abundantly available renewable energy resources for the generation of electricity. Among various renewable energy resources, wind energy and solar energy are more ecofriendly. Also, since wind energy is available for 24 hours throughout the day and solar energy in day time, they were combined to form a hybrid model in which maximum energy is generated. The generated energy can be used for low power applications and home appliances and the excess energy can be newlinesaved in batteries. In the conventional method of harvesting wind energy, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) are used. These HAWTs are erected in remote places and harvested energy is used only in higher end applications. Also the system is not cost effective in which erection and maintenance processes are time expensive. To overcome these problems Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) were implemented. These VAWTs were installed in the roof tops of buildings. In this system there were no hybrid models in which two non-conventional energy sources are synchronized. So a hybrid model of solar and wind emerged. In this new hybrid model, solar panel and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine were combined. They were installed in the roadways in the medians. Number of such hybrid systems was connected in series to generate electricity. When the vehicles move on the either sides of the medians in the roadways, the force exerted make the VAWTs to rotate. newline newline