Renewable Energy Test Site

 

A small-scale renewable energy (RE) test site is being developed at HWU. Initial plans are to have an array of nine small wind turbines (1.1 kW rating each), one 1kW fixed PV array, and one 1kW two-axis tracked PV array. A diagram of how the RE test site might look once completed is shown below.

The research objectives relating to the RE test site are:

• Wind Energy:
  • To study of wake structures and turbulence development within the wind farm, and how they affect turbine performance.
  • To determine wind turbine blade stress and how this correlates with turbulence levels within the wind farm.
  • To use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model both the air flow and turbine performance within the wind farm, using wind turbine modelling software developed exclusively at HWU.
  • To apply the above knowledge gained to predict air flow and turbine performance within full-scale turbines using the HWU CFD model.

   

• Photovoltaics:
  • In situ monitoring of the performance of both standard commercial PV technologies against prototype PV technologies developed at HWU.
  • To determine any decrease in performance of the materials used for PV upon extended exposure to we
  The RE test site will provide many benefits within HWU relating to research and teaching, however the TE test site will also greater benefit to society. We currently have more than 100 MSc students studying energy and renewable energy, and development will allow students to undertake a wide variety of field experiments and enhance their understanding of renewable energy technologies. In addition, it is anticipated that the UK will adopt a feed-in-tariff for renewable electricity generation in April 2010 and HWU will be able to benefit both economically and environmentally by generating renewable electricity and exporting excess electricity to the grid.
  We are extremely grateful to the Royal Society Wolfson Laboratory Refurbishment funding combined with matching funding from within HWU.