A case study of a small wind turbine integrated with the building of AGH Centre of Energy, Krakow

Nowadays, various methods of increasing total energy generation from renewable energy sources (RES) are being considered and applied. Various types of RES installations, characterised by different size, location, performance, etc. are widely spread all over the world. Among them wind energy sector is undergoing the most dynamical growth, currently achieving the generation capacity of about 600 GW. This is the effect of the construction of big wind turbine farms, where huge megawatt-turbines are commonly installed. However, this policy is not without some drawbacks, such as area usage, location problems and environmental impact. Therefore, the policy of installing many small wind turbines in densely populated areas would be beneficial in terms of obtaining more power from wind. This also creates an opportunity to develop integrated systems of small energy sources located directly in cities. Such distributed generation systems could include small wind units, building integrated photovoltaic, waste heat conversion, power storage etc. Wind systems with the potential ability of night generation can be a complementary element to photovoltaic. In built-up areas, the application of building integrated wind energy generators seems to be worth considering. The paper presents the case study of a small wind turbine integrated with the Centre of Energy AGH building. The data from the turbine monitoring gathered by a dedicated registering system were analysed. The analysis includes: wind parameters (velocity, direction, power spectra), power generated in different conditions, environmental impacts of the turbine, like noise and vibrations. Due to the wind interaction with the building structure, the behaviour of BIWT is much more complex compared to wind turbines in open terrain. Distortions of the wind pattern by the building cannot be neglected and define new conditions for wind energy harvesting. The performed analysis provides data for elaborate specific location conditions and supports CFD analysis. The aim of the future analysis will be the selection of buildings located in complex built-up areas, fit for the integration with wind turbines.