The Design, Simulation and Testing of V-shape Roof Guide Vane Integrated with an Eco-roof System

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present the performance of an innovative wind-solar-rain water hybrid renewable energy generator and harvester roof system. A novel V-shape roof guide vane (VRGV) that located above the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is introduced to guide and increase the wind speed by the venturi effect before it interacts with the rotor blades, hence improve the performance of the wind turbine. 2D CFD simulations was carried out to verify the optimized effect of VRGV out of nine different angles of roof designs and to estimate the increased speed by the VRGV. From the simulations, the optimum inclination arrangement of the V-shape roof guide vane is 25°. The wind speed augmented factor of the VRGV was 44%, from 2.00 m/s to 2.88 m/s. The working concept of the VRGV is to minimize the negative torque zone of a VAWT and to reduce turbulence and rotational speed fluctuation. Besides, the design of the VRGV that blends into the building architecture can be aesthetic as well. An experimental setup has been developed to verify the effect of VRGV using a prototype. Anemometric measurements were used to calculate the power of wind turbine. The system was also designed to provide optimum surface area and orientation for solar power generation. An automatic cooling and cleaning system with a stream of rain water was designed to clean and cool the roof which can improve the electrical efficiency of the solar photovoltaic modules. The ventilation vents of the system allow warm air inside the building to be ventilated out from the building by the pressure difference. The skylighting in the system improve the living comfort level and reduce power consumption of artificial lighting.