Date of Award

6-2009

Document Type

Union College Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Electrical Engineering

First Advisor

John Spinelli

Language

English

Keywords

wind, axis, power, campus, project

Abstract

With increasing demand for alternative energies, wind power is emerging as one of the earth's viable renewable resources. Though horizontal-axis turbine designs currently dominate the market, vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) can provide better performance in lower-class wind. In a joint project between the mechanical and electrical engineering departments, we have designed a hybrid Darrieus-Savonius vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) with a microcontroller-based power conversion system for implementation on the Union College campus. With our prototype, we hope to evaluate the feasibility of wind power generation on campus, while also laying a foundation for wind energy development at Union. This project was funded by IEF Grants and a Presidential Green Grant.

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