ASM: Building Integrated Wind Turbines
April 24, 2008
AV’s Architectural Wind™ Development
Paul M. Glenney
AeroVironment – Icons of Cleannovation
GOSSAMER
ALBATROSS
GM IMPACT
GLOBAL OBSERVER
GM SUNRAYCER
HELIOS
Doing more with much less…
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Recent AV Developments in Marine Energy
• Wave Power: NAF
– Utility Scale Applications
– Two Prototypes Deployed Off
Catalina Island
• Current/Tidal Power: Eelgrass
– Premium Power for Instruments
on the Seabed Floor
– Example: Seismic Monitoring for
Offshore Oil & Gas Mapping
• RE Powered Devices: Mola
– Solar Powered “Sea Turtle”
– Applications Include Monitoring:
• Eddy Currents for Oil & Gas
Platforms
• Algae Bloom for Commercial
Fishing
• Coral Reef Health
• Port Security
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"Energy is the single most important problem facing humanity
today. We must find an alternative to oil. We need to
somehow provide clean, abundant, low-cost energy
throughout the world to the 6 billion people that live on the
planet today, and the 10+ billion that are expected by the
middle of this century. The cheaper, cleaner, and more
universally available this new energy technology is, the
better we will be able to avoid human suffering, and the
major upheavals of war and terrorism."
- Richard E. Smalley, Nobel Laureate
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Coal: 209 years & counting…
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Nearly 50% of US electricity is
generated from coal
LADWP’s ratio is very similar
Coal plants release sixty
varieties of hazardous air
pollutants, among them lead,
chromium, arsenic and mercury
Clean coal: ”We know there’s no
such thing. There is no clean
coal, only cleaner coal. Less dirty
coal.” – Sen. Harry Reid (D)
February 19, 2008
Oil, natural gas and uranium are
now considered “transient”
resources: 60 years or less
Buildings comprise 30% of
electricity use
Urgency for energy efficient and
zero energy buildings
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Los Angeles Green Building
Dodger Stadium
Kayford Mountain, Appalachia
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Why Small Wind Turbines for the Built
Environment?
• Large wind turbines
(>100kW) suffer from:
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Structural requirements
Aesthetics
Noise & vibration
Inadequate resources
Siting: Zoning, FAA, etc.
NIMBY & BANANA
Distributed wind bypasses
one of the most controversial
aspects of wind power: siting
large turbines in sensitive
areas.
Distributed wind intensifies
urban development instead
of encouraging sprawl.
• Small turbines can be fit
into the built environment
• AV’s focus on low-aspect
ratio buildings
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Small Wind and the
Built Environment
Buildings account for 30%
of global electricity consumption.
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A New Implementation of Small Wind
• Building integrated wind
turbines
• Utility grid-connected
• Modular and scalable
• Complimentary with solar
photovoltaics & green roofs
• Rapidly and easily installed
• Minimize roof penetrations
• Fundamentally impact public
perception of the relationship
between energy production
and energy use in the built
environment
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AeroVironment Inc.
Small Wind generation results
in pollution mitigation:
Every kilowatt-hour of electricity
produced using conventional fuels
releases:
- 1.26 pounds of carbon dioxide
- 1.07 pounds of methane
- 2.03 pounds of nitrous oxide
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Architectural Enhancements to Low Profile Buildings
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Building Integration Concept Investigation
• Investigate Look & Feel – June 2004
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Long Beach, CA
Six turbines, 2.4 kW
Battery charging
Opinions of appearance…
• Outdoor Wind Lab – June 2005
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Cabazon, CA
Utility grid-tied
Designed for 105 mph winds
Seismic and structural engineering
Wind flows over buildings
Three, five, and six blades
Green: the new red, white and blue
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Aerodynamic Performance
• Winds striking a building wall creates a frontal
resistance to the wind
• “Chimney Effect” for buildings with L/H > 5
– Creates a zone of accelerated air
– 15% increase in velocity results in 50% more power
– Power curve effectively shifts to the left
• This phenomena can be analytically predicted
WIND STREAMLINES
SIDE
IMPORTANT WIND ZONES
Accelerated flow
Shear zone
Wind shadow
SIDE
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Performance Optimization: Vector Flows
• Turbine orientation
with respect to
accelerated wind flow
is critical to
maximizing energy
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Experimentation & Testing
• 30 years of wind mapping
experience
• Experimental validation
on structures
• Cal Tech Lucas adaptive
wind tunnel testing
• Texas Tech Wind
Science & Engineering
Center: wind flow over
low aspect ratio
structures
• Dynamometer testing
• Mobile test platform
• Computational fluid
dynamics modeling
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1:100 Scale Model – “Tilt-Up” Design Wind Vector
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Key Finding: Accelerated Wind Flow
“Architectural Wind leverages the ‘natural’ built environment…
it is specifically engineered to take advantage of the acceleration effect of
wind as it passes over the parapet”
Result: Three patents granted for Architectural Wind
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Partners in Innovation
• Organizations with a
commitment to sustainability
– Climate change/GHG
emission reductions
– Environmental stewardship
– Green building
– Renewable energy
– Want to engage
stakeholders into this
dialogue
• Economic siting drivers:
BMW Group/Designworks,
Newbury Park, CA
– Good wind resource (US
Class 2+ or higher)
– High electricity rates
– Incentives (buydowns)
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Wind Siting: the Main Ingredient
• Predominant wind
direction
– Boston vs. Boron
• No obstructions upwind
– Buildings
– Trees
– Hills
• Facing side of structure
• Focus on low aspect
ratio buildings:
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Distribution centers
Office buildings
Big box stores
Factories
• Turbine pitch angle
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Case Study: Southern California
Attached is the master slide for AV presentations. Can you create a few slides with the payback
of each sales price on one slide each (three slides). Also include one slide of the financials
(MACRS, assumptions) and one of a good wind map.
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Rapid Integration Onto Buildings
• Mechanical interconnection: designed for concrete tilt-ups and precast buildings
• Plug & play electrical connectors with standard utility
interconnection equipment
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1st LEED Gold Certified Food Processing Plant
Kettle Foods – Beloit, WI
• Produce enough
electricity to produce
56,000 bags of
potato chips annually
• Render used
vegetable oil to
produce biodiesel
• Lighting & energy
efficiency throughout
• Preservation of local
wetlands surrounding
the facility
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Promoting Education & Awareness
Adventure Aquarium – Camden, NJ
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Arizona State University:
Global Institute of Sustainability
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Massport – Boston Logan Airport
• Airports must
balance their need
for expansion and to
reduce emissions
simultaneously
• Fuel efficient
airplanes are on
their way
• Green buildings and
electrification of
runway equipment
• Technology
demonstration
– 20 ea 1kW turbines
– 60,000 kWh/year
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“When we are cabined in the present, we suffer from a certain
poverty of imagination. We massively underestimate
human ingenuity and resilience.”
- Daniel Pink
- “I shut my eyes in order to see.”
- Paul Gaugin
"The tools we use to change the world ought to be
beautiful in themselves. It's not just enough to survive.
We've got to make something better than what we've got."
- Alex Steffan
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Bringing Wind Power to the Built Environment
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Contact Info:
Paul M. Glenney
AeroVironment, Inc.
Director, Clean Energy Technology Center
1960 Walker Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
+01 626/357-9983 ext. 114
Glenney@AVInc.com
www.avinc.com/wind
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