| By :
Roger Brown
If you are considering a vertical wind turbine for the home, you need to be very selective about where you put it up on your property. If you are thinking about mounting it on your roof, there is one area in particular that is a lot better than the all the others.
First, understanding the concept of "Roof Effect", or Undisturbed Air factor (UDA), can really help your chances of maximizing power output. What this means is, where exactly you install the windmill on the roof can make all the difference in the world in terms of how much power it will produce. The way Roof Effect works is wind colliding with certain parts of the roof causes an aerodynamic phenomenon called the Venturi effect to occur. Venturi Effect is a type of aerodynamic compression that causes air flow acceleration. For our purposes, this results in an increase in wind speed of anywhere from 50% to 300% close to the ridge of the roof. With wind turbines, the kinetic energy harbored by the wind is converted into mechanical energy that turns the turbine shaft. For wind turbine power output, wind speed is the most significant factor. That\'s because one of the largest variables in the power equation is wind velocity cubed. That is, if you do nothing but place your turbine in the right place to take maximum advantage of wind speed, you will increase your power output by a shockingly high amount. Here\'s why… Wind speed factor effect of 10 mph wind = 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000
Wind speed factor effect of 30 mph wind = 30 x 30 x 30 = 27,000 The way Roof Effect works is when wind first hits the roof, it compresses. Then it moves along the roof in a boundary layer of 1-3 feet deep. At maximum roof height, the effect is strongest. This is because winds higher up are stronger and more consistent than those closer to the ground. Therefore, the absolute best place to put your turbine is on the ridgeline as high up as possible. Studies by Guelph University in Ontario and Delft University in Holland have tested and validated how much Roof Effect can increase the amount of power produced by the typical vertical home wind turbine for the home. In conclusion, it is a rule that the higher up a wind turbine is mounted, the more power it will produce. The problem is that it is just not practical in all cases to mount a turbine that high. The costs are just too great to justify putting up a tower. So, when considering a vertical wind turbine for the home, taking advantage of Roof Effect makes the top of your house a much more effective place to make power.
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