Small Wind Turbines in the Rural and Urban Enviroment (SWTRUE)

Several economical and environmental factors are forcing the energy market and technology towards renewable energy sources. Wind energy has made worldwide enormous progress in both the technology advances and installed capacity in the last decade. But that is only valid for large scale wind turbines and wind parks in the megawatt class. These wind parks feed electricity to the medium or high voltage level. Small wind turbines have more or less been totally neglected. They don’t gain from scaling effects but small wind turbines have the ability to feed electricity decentralized to the low voltage grid were the electricity is consumed and expensive transmission grids don’t have to be rearranged for an electricity supply with an increased fraction from renewable energy sources. In addition, small wind turbines can be integrated into non grid-connected electricity supplies in rural areas.

This project aims at investigating technical and market barriers and to research a successful integration of small wind turbines into electricity supplies of grid connected and autonomous electricity supply systems. Such system flexibility nominates it as a best candidate to establish new communities and small industries in rural and urban areas. This targeted to develop an optimal scientific solution for energy expenses and transmission problems that match the best interest of the local society and its expected extensions via optimally engineered wind turbines that match the environmental conditions of this area. The focus is set on wind energy compared to diesel-only conventional system. The project is divided into two main parts namely, study of small wind turbines in rural areas for Fish Cultivation and Small Industry in the Northern Cost Nile’s Delta, Egypt. Second, research a successful integration of small wind turbines into electricity supplies in urban regions in Egypt and Germany. Two especially designed and manufactured prototype systems - in Egypt and Germany - will be used for the experimental studies.

In the first part, the energy requirements of fish farms are studied in the area south of Borolus Lake, where 62,000 hectares are used as fish farms. A study that relates the energy demands with fish productivity and quality to be carried to provide statistical information about energy demands. Theoretical and experimental studies are performed to investigate the farm’s energy management incorporating wind supplies.

Secondly, electricity generation from wind turbines installed in the built environment is sparsely investigated. Local wind conditions depending on the roof type and roof orientation and corresponding with this the amount of electricity generation are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Grid connection of wind generators to the low voltage grid is compared to the state of the art of feeding electricity to the medium voltage. Benefits and obstacles will be analyzed and economically evaluated.

This project has ten partners, five research institutes of higher education, two partners from R&D area and three private companies in the area of fish cultivation, fish food industry and wood industries. The project is strongly applicable and matches the development needs in a robust scientific and technical practice.