Experimental measurements of the performance of a micro-wind turbine located in an urban area

Among renewable energy sources, the electrical generation at urban level from micro-wind turbines has not yet disclosed its potential. The increasing spread of micro-wind turbines may promote not only the decentralized generation of energy, but also helps to achieve reductions in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and to support the transition to transport system electrification. However, one of the barriers for the diffusion of micro-wind turbines in urban settlements is the difficulty to estimate its feasibility based on the local wind resource, which is highly site-specific and less predictable than other renewable sources in an urban framework (i.e. solar, biomass). The paper deals with extensive monitoring and analysis of a micro-wind turbine performed at the outdoor development center HEnergia of HERA S.p.A. in Forlì (Italy). The micro-wind turbine was remotely monitored and data on environmental conditions and electric energy production were continuously acquired and stored by a PC. Therefore, micro-wind turbine performance was measured on-site and correlated with environment conditions. The real energy production of the micro-wind turbine was measured and a method to estimate the performances based on local wind conditions was presented. Based on the results, a simplified approach to evaluate the economic feasibility of micro-wind turbine in urban areas based on the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) concept was also presented.