Experimental and simulation investigation of a Savonius vertical axis wind turbine for residential applications: a case study in Indonesia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate several geometric designs to improve the performance of a Savonius vertical axis wind turbine (SVAWT) at low wind speeds. The SVAWT models were numerically tested using ANSYS prediction software to determine the best performance. Furthermore, a SVAWT prototype was experimentally evaluated in subsonic wind tunnels at wind speeds of 1–5 m/s to determine the electrical power produced. The experimental results were used as input parameters for HOMER tools to optimise renewable energy systems and establish the prototype’s techno-economic environmental viability for satisfying the residential demand load. The simulation results showed that the maximum power coefficient obtained was 0.25 for a SVAWT model with a twist angle of 45° at a wind speed of 5 m/s. The experimental results showed that the modified SVAWT produced 494.9 W of electrical power at a wind speed of 5 m/s. The results confirmed that the cost of electrical energy following an initial investment in the optimised renewable energy system configuration (a grid-connected 1-kW SVAWT with a – kW electrical converter and two battery strings) was 0.0963/kWh and 4,425. This setup achieves a 65.8% renewable fraction, cutting CO₂ emissions by over 53.71%, fit for residential use.

KEYWORDS:

• Vertical axis wind turbine
• twist angle
• low wind speed
• performance evaluation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by The Ministry of Research and Higher Education of Indonesia's financial support through the research grant ‘Hibah Publikasi Terindeks Internasional’ (PUTI) Pascasarjana 2023-2024 [grant number NKB-267/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2023].