Abstract:
In Malaysia the use wind energy for electrification
is considered not economically viable simply because of its low
average wind speed of about 2m/s. This is far below than
majority of commercial wind turbines which are designed to
operate at above 7m/s. In this paper, we will discuss some
challenges in designing a wind farm capable of operating at
between 1.5m/s to 3m/s and generating power of 200KWh per
day. In general a total revamp to the wind turbine power curve
is needed such that it is able to generate usable power at a very
low wind velocity region. This paper also reviews some of the
recent progress made toward developing low speed vertical axis
wind turbine (VAWT) with a particular reference to the
Savonious rotor. We further argue that by using a cluster of
optimal vertical wind turbines arranged in specific configuration,
total power efficiency can be improved significantly
