New blade profile for Darrieus wind turbines capable to self-start

The wind power generation is experiencing a rapid growth, achieving the highest number of European installations in 2010 comparing to other renewable sources. The need for a smarter grid capable of integrating several decentralized sources of energy and the increasing need for energy in urban areas, has led to an increase interest in wind turbines for the urban areas. In these environments, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have several advantages over horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT), namely: their ability to operate closer to the ground; their insensitivity to yaw wind directions; the smaller number of components; the operation at low sound emissions; the ability to generate energy from wind in skew flow. One problem with the lift-type VAWT (Darrieus wind turbines) is their natural inability to self-start at low wind speeds without extra components. Hence, a new blade profile for Darrieus type VAWT is presented in this paper, capable to self-start at low wind speeds. A methodology is developed to compare the new blade profile with other known airfoils. Finally, conclusions are duly drawn.