Low‐cost mounting arrangements for building‐integrated wind turbines

Micro‐generation is being widely promoted as a way for householders in the UK and elsewhere to take part in ‘the Green Revolution’. Building‐integrated wind turbines (BIWTs) provide a way to do this, enabling people to reduce their contribution to the problems of both climate change and decreasing fossil fuel availability. Although energy yields from BIWTs for many householders have been shown to be low, there are still situations where such turbines can make a useful contribution to electricity generation, e.g. in windier areas and for isolated detached buildings. The standards for the installation of BIWTs are still being developed including those for the safe mounting of turbines on domestic buildings. This paper investigates the current trend for mounting small wind turbines on the walls of domestic premises and compares this with an approach which uses roof timbers. It identifies the main characteristics of building construction which affect the integrity of such installations. European and British standards have been used to calculate wind and gravitational loads. Finite element models are used to derive working stresses and, hence, some basic principles of good design. The likely costs of wall and roof mounting are then compared. Installation and health and safety issues are also examined briefly. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.