PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix is a key way of reducing the EU's carbon footprint and is an important part of EU climate and energy policy. Wind energy plays a significant role in the renewable energy sector. It can be generated from powerful giant wind turbines on land or offshore or by small windmills applied by households. It is a dynamically developing sector in which new technical solutions are being regularly found and efficiency continually improved. In addition, air streams created by human activity represent an existing potential energy resource. Such streams can arise from the layout of the urban space, from vehicle traffic, especially under and overpasses, or by technological processes (e.g. ventilation systems in industrial installations and the subway). This potential energy source has been poorly researched to date. Although the electricity generated will probably never amount to that generated by large wind turbines, this source could supplement to other renewable sources providing that a large number of such small turbines are applied.
OBJECTIVES
The project LIFE-UrbanWind.PL aimed to construct and test a set of wind turbines capturing air streams induced by human activity. The objective was to confirm the potential to generate energy efficiently from this source.
Specifically, the project aimed to:
- Demonstrate the potential of air streams created by human activity in urban spaces as a new renewable energy source for producing low-emission and cheap electricity;
- Build and test the prototype of the Urban Wind Power Station (UWPS), based on a modular cylindrical wind turbine with a self-propulsion system that optimally captures the energy of air streams;
- Create four prototype sets of UWPS and test them in locations that differ in airflow characteristics;
- Describe the boundary conditions for the widest possible implementation of the UWPS concept in various set combinations;
- Present a clear picture of the link between carbon-neutral renewable energy sources, which help reduce global CO2 emissions, and the mitigation of climate change; and
- Raise awareness about the viability and universality of UWPS in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in urban areas.
RESULTS
As foreseen, twelve wind turbine prototypes (called Urban Wind Power Station, UWPS) have been constructed in three nominal power categories: 5 kW, 10 kW and 20 kW (four prototype units in each category). All the turbine prototypes have been thoroughly tested in wind-tunnel and then at open-air sites. The optimisation process during field tests lasted until the very end of the project and has brought various improvements to the initial turbine design.
Another product is the catalogue of air streams induced by human activity (published in Polish and English). It provides an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data on air flows forced by human activity in urbanised areas, around buildings or along road infrastructure (e.g. subway tunnels, railway, viaducts etc.). The aim of the catalogue is to facilitate making decisions about where the wind turbines constructed under the project (or similar wind turbines allowed for urban areas) should be installed in order to use the wind power in the most efficient way.
According to the beneficiaries the prospects for UWPS commercialisation are promising. They plan to introduce the turbines on the market within 2 years from the project’s end (production and first installations of the turbines), and after 5 years – to achieve wide commercialisation in Europe. The project promotion actions have resulted in a long list of institutions and companies interested in purchasing the UWPS, as well as companies declaring interest in production and distribution of the turbines.
The project has carried out an extensive information campaign not only about its own turbines, but also about the possibility of using air streams forced by human activity. The promotional and educational activities focused on the main groups of stakeholders, i.e. small and medium-sized enterprises and local governments, and resulted in an increase in the percentage of entrepreneurs willing to use wind energy. The main communication tool was the project website [www.urbanwind.pl] run in Polish and English. The achieved number of viewers/year exceeded the number foreseen (134 000 vs 100 000). The website has been integrated with social media (Facebook, Instagram), which also contributed to spreading information about the project (there were over 550 followers of FB profile). The YouTube channel was also used to promote the series of project webinars, the project promotion movie and a recording of the conference summarising the project. The number of the foreseen activities promoting the prototype (meeting with stakeholders, participation in conferences and fairs) has been slightly exceeded: 143 planned vs. 152 reported by the CB. Other promotion and communication tools included: the project notice boards placed at the sites of the project partners and at all the turbine testing locations; leaflets distributed during various events; a large number of meetings with various groups of stakeholders (representatives of local governments, entrepreneurs and potential end users); numerous articles and notes about the project and its turbines in print and online media (according to FR, the media campaign has resulted in 990 publications and press notes in national media and 381 articles and notes in European media). The project participated in several trade fairs for construction, energy or installation sectors. In the International Construction Fair in Bielsko Biała in September 2022 the turbines received the award for the greatest innovation and quality.
