Field Test of a Small Wind Turbine Generator System with Storage Battery

The present study aims to develop an optimal wind turbine generator system with a storage battery for use in developing countries. In order to utilize wind energy efficiently, the wind turbine output should match the battery load. If we could control the revolution of the turbine in proportion to wind velocity, we could obtain the optimal system. However, the battery load suppresses increased revolution because the voltage is fixed. Therefore, we must compromise with an optimal fixed revolution. The present paper proposes a method to determine the voltage and the capacity of the battery based on computer simulation. We have applied it to our Darrieus-Savonius wind turbine (1kW) and have confirmed its validity with a 4-month field test.