| By :
Roger Brown
If wind turbines for homes are an important topic for you now, you need to consider locating it on your roof. One good reason for that is the phenomenon of Roof Effect. Roof Effect is a special dynamic relating to airflow that only happens on roofs and really helps the economics of the wind turbine. The wind that is on your roof is very turbulent. The reason that happens is because of the all the obstacles down that low. Trees and buildings all contribute to the chaotic nature of the wind on the roof. This is not bad though. The turbulence that occurs there is actually beneficial. Let me explain why. Roof Effect happens when the wind hits the roof at a glancing blow and accelerates upward towards the roof's eve. As it travels in a boundary layer, the wind accelerates by up to a factor of up to 3 times what it was when it hit the roof earlier. That means that by realizing this phenomenon, you can take a small amount of wind and turn it into a large amount of power by locating the turbine in just the right spot. While in general that best spot will be at the eve, or the highest point on the roof, some higher points are better for your turbine than others. If you are considering a vertical-axis wind turbine for your roof, you can especially take advantage of the chaotic wind conditions there. The reason is that type of turbine performs exceptionally well in turbulence because it has no tail assembly to redirect the blades into the path of the oncoming wind, like a classic horizontal-axis turbine requires. The vertically oriented wind turbine thrives in the type of chaotic wind conditions found on a roof because it doesn't care which way the wind is coming from. It will spin clockwise or counterclockwise and produce power either way. It is important in this case to test. You can do that by mounting a small anemometer, or wind recording device, at several places near where you think the maximum wind might be occurring. The data that you collect will lead you to place the turbine in just the right place to optimize electricity production output. In conclusion, Roof Effect can be a special benefit to wind turbines for homes because correct placement of the turbine on the roof will make a mediocre wind much better.
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articleforbacklinks.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
