GB2612664A

GB2612664A - Wind-powered electricity generator

Info

Publication number: GB2612664A
Application number: GB2208843.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Doe William
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-06-22
Filing date: 2022-06-16
Publication date: 2023-05-10
Also published as: GB202208843D0; WO2022269236A1; GB202108920D0

Abstract

A building 10 comprises a building structure and a wind-powered electricity generator 22. The building structure defines a first air flow path which extends from a first inlet end 40 to the generator at a first outlet end 42; the cross-sectional area of the first air flow path is smaller at the first outlet end than the first inlet end such that the air flow path narrows, so the building structure acts to funnel wind flowing towards the generator and thereby increase the wind speed incident on the generator. The building may define a second air flow path that extends from a second inlet end to the generator. The air flow path(s) may be defined by a roof 12 of the building. The building may be a car port. The generator may comprise a horizontal axis wind turbine or a vertical axis wind turbine.

Description

Title: Wind-powered Electricity Generator

Field of the disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a wind-powered electricity generator, and more particularly to improving the performance of such a generator.

Background to the disclosure

io There is increasing demand for generation of electricity from renewable sources in order to reduce dependence on energy supplies derived from fossil fuels. It is therefore desirable to improve the ability of renewable energy generators to convert energy from renewable sources into electricity.

Summary of the disclosure

The present disclosure provides a building comprising: a building structure; and a wind-powered electricity generator, wherein the building structure defines at least part of a first air flow path which extends from a first inlet end to the generator at a first outlet end; and the cross-sectional area of the first air flow path is smaller at the first outlet end than the first inlet end.

In such a configuration, the building structure acts to funnel wind flowing towards the generator and thereby increase the wind speed incident on the generator at the outlet end of the air flow path defined by the building structure. It may therefore serve to increase the energy yield from a wind-powered electricity generator at a given location.

The building structure may therefore have a dual function of providing a construction defining and/or covering a space for human use as well as enhancing the performance of a wind-powered electricity generator.

The building structure is preferably of a fixed, immovable construction. Alternatively, the building structure may be mobile. It may be transported from one location to another either as a rigid or collapsed structure or may be adapted to be disassembled. The building structure may include couplings between components of the structure which can be released and reattached to facilitate its disassembly and reassembly. A mobile version may be suitable for providing mobile power generation or emergency back-up power generation, for example.

io The building structure may comprise a shelter without walls or may be a structure including one or more walls.

The building may define a second air flow path which extends from a second inlet end to the generator at a second outlet end, with the cross-sectional area of the second air flow path being smaller at the second outlet end than at the second inlet end Accordingly, the building may define a second air flow path leading to the same generator as the first air flow path. In a preferred documentation, the second air flow path flows to an opposite side of the generator to the first air flow path. Each air flow path may therefore funnel air towards the generator from a different respective direction. This may increase the range of wind directions over which wind is effectively funnelled towards the generator.

The building structure may include a roof, with part of the or each air flow path defined by the roof More particularly, a surface formed by the roof may define part of the or each air flow path, with the height of the surface above ground level decreasing from the inlet end to the outlet end of the or each air flow path. The underside of the roof may define part of the or each air flow path. Thus, an underside of an inclined roof may combine with other surfaces (such as the surface of the $0 ground or flooring beneath the roof) to channel air towards the generator.

Alternatively, in other examples where a surface formed by the roof defines part of the or each air flow path, the height of the surface above ground level increases from the inlet end to the outlet end of the or each air flow path In that case, the upper surface of an inclined roof may combine with other structures to channel air towards the generator.

In some implementations, the building structure may comprise a car port or shelter. The generator may then provide a local source of electrical energy for recharging an electrically powered vehicle. The building may include a battery for storing electricity outputted by the generator.

io The building structure may include vertical panels or walls which form part of the or each flow path. Such panels may combine with other structures to channel air towards the generator.

The generator may comprise a wind turbine, or a plurality of wind turbines. The wind turbines may be horizontal axis wind turbines or vertical axis wind turbines, or both types may be included. It will be appreciated that references to horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines herein use the terms -horizontal" and -vertical" to differentiate between these two different types of wind turbine and do not indicate precise orientations for their axes of rotation relative to a frame of reference.

In some examples, the generator may comprise an array of wind turbines arranged in a common plane. This common plane may be vertically orientated, for example.

The generator may include a plurality of moveable elements for converting wind energy into vibrational kinetic energy, which the generator then converts into electrical energy.

The building may include at least one solar-powered electricity generator, such as a solar panel. Accordingly, the building may be arranged to generate electricity from 3o both the wind and the sun. As wind power is slightly negatively correlated with solar power in many locations, this combination may serve to increase the continuity of electricity generation by the building.

Furthermore, the wind and solar powered generators may utilise shared ducting and/or other structures such as cabling and battery storage, thereby reducing overall costs The outlet end of the or each air flow path may comprise an air bypass device for selectively allowing air flowing along the air flow path to bypass the electricity generator. For example, the air bypass device may comprise a plurality of adjustable louvres.

The performance of a particular wind-powered electricity generator may decrease io above a given wind speed. Accordingly, in order to optimise its performance, it may be desirable to allow some of the air flowing along the air flow path to bypass the generator and thereby reduce the wind speed incident on the generator.

The air bypass device may be a mechanical device which is configured to allow air to flow through it (or to allow an increased air flow through it) when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined threshold. The device may have a device body which defines at least one opening and the device may include a closure for closing the opening. The closure may be attached to the device body via a resilient coupling which urges the closure towards its closed position, and allows the closure to lift away from the opening when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In a preferred implementation, the building may include a wind speed sensor for generating a wind speed signal, wherein the air bypass device includes a controller communicatively coupled to the wind speed sensor to receive the wind speed signal and configured to control the air bypass device in response to the wind speed signal.

The controller may be configured to open the air bypass device (or allow an increased air flow through it) when the wind speed signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Brief description of the drawings $0

Examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, wherein: Figures 1 to 3 are side, plan and partial front views, respectively, of a building according to an example of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a partial front view of another building according to an example of the present disclosure; and Figures 5 and 6 are side and front views of a further building according to an example of the present disclosure,

Detailed description

to The building 10 depicted in Figures 1 to 3 is a solar car port extending over eight pairs of car parking spaces. These spaces are marked by dashed lines in Figure 2. The building includes a roof 12 formed of two planar sections 14 and 16. The roof sections 14 and 16 each slope downwardly towards a horizontal centre line 18 of the building to meet along the centre line. The roof sections are carried by a supporting metal framework which is not shown in the drawings for clarity. The supporting framework may comprise central struts which are rigidly mounted on foundations located in the ground 20 in the region 19 in Figure 1.

A wind-powered electricity generator 22 extends along the centre line 18 of building, between the car parking spaces of each pair. The top of the generator is spaced from the underside of the roof 12. An air bypass device 24 extends between the top of the generator and the roof Alternatively, or additionally, an air bypass device may be provided between the generator and the ground.

A vertical panel or partition 26 is located on each side of each parking space. Each partition is planar and extends perpendicularly to the centre line 18 of the building. Each partition has an inner end 28 which is adjacent to the generator 22 and an outer end 30 which is located partway along the car parking spaces on either side thereof The bottom edge 32 of each partition is at or near ground level and the top edge 34 3o meets (or is spaced by a gap from) the underside of the roof U. As indicated in Figure 1, the building defines an air flow path which extends from a first inlet end 40 to the generator 22 at first outlet end 42. As the roof section 14 is inclined downwardly between the first inlet end and the first outlet end, the cross-sectional area of the air flow path therebetween decreases towards the generator. As a result, the building structure acts to funnel wind blowing into the space below the roof section 14 in a direction towards the centre line 18 of the building. Accordingly, the wind is accelerated as it travels towards the generator, thereby increasing the power output of the generator.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the roof section 16 is configured in a similar manner to roof section 14 so as to define a second air flow path extending between a io second inlet end 44 and a second outlet end 46 adjacent to the generator 22. Thus, the roof section 16 acts to funnel wind blowing into the space below it in a direction towards the centre line 18. This symmetrical configuration of roof sections 14 and 16 enables the building structure to increase the speed of wind blowing towards the generator from either of two opposite directions.

The partitions 26 will tend to direct wind blowing into the space below the roof of the building towards a direction perpendicular to the generator 22, thereby potentially increasing the performance of generators designed to capture the most energy from wind blowing in that direction.

The partial front view of Figure 3 shows a portion of the building which extends across the width of two car parking spaces. The generator includes two wind-powered electricity generating panels 50 and 52 which extend across the respective car parking spaces as shown in Figure 3. Each panel may have a width and height of

2m, for example.

In the alternative configuration shown in Figure 4, a single panel 54 is provided in association with two car parking spaces The air bypass device 24 extends around three sides of the panel in the space defined between the panel, the ground 20 and the io roof 12.

The wind-powered electricity generator 22 may comprise a plurality of wind turbines. The wind turbines may be horizontal axis wind turbines or vertical axis wind turbines, or both types may be included. In some implementations, the use of vertical axis wind turbines may be preferred as they may be better adapted to generate electricity from a wind wider range of incident wind directions In some examples, a panel 50, 52 or 54 may include an array of wind turbines 56 arranged in a vertical plane so as to receive air accelerated towards the generator by the building structure. In other implementations, the generator may include a plurality of movable elements 58 for converting wind energy into vibrational kinetic energy, which is in turn used to generate electricity. For example, the generator may utilise io wind panel technology developed by Katrick Technologies Ltd A number of solar panels 60 may be mounted on the roof 12 of the building to provide additional electricity generation capacity. In some examples, the roof itself may be formed from solar panels. The roof may be formed from solar glass constructed to convert solar energy into electricity, for example.

The region 19 denoted in Figure 1 may include ducting alongside the foundations which contains electrical cables connecting to the wind-powered generator 22. This same ducting may also carry cabling running to solar panels of the building to reduce construction costs.

The air bypass device 24 is provided to selectively allow air flowing below the roof to bypass the generator 22. The device may thereby regulate the degree to which the wind is accelerated by the building structure. The amount of acceleration may be reduced by the device to avoid the speed of the wind incident on the generator exceeding the preferred operating range of the generator, thereby enabling the generator to work over a greater range of external wind speeds.

The air bypass device 24 may comprise a plurality of adjustable louvres 62 or baffles 3o for controlling the extent to which air is allowed to bypass the generator. The louvres may be attached to a support via a resilient couplings which urge the louvres towards their closed positions, and allows the louvres to lift away from their closed positions when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined threshold.

As shown in Figure 4, the building may include an anemometer 64 for measuring the speed of the wind flowing over the building. The anemometer may generate a wind speed signal indicative of the wind speed which is used by a controller of the air bypass device to determine whether the device should permit air to bypass the generator. The controller may be configured with reference to the performance characteristics of the generator. In preferred implementations, the controller may be arranged to record the amount of energy generated by the generator at different wind speeds (and/or directions) and use this data with a view to controlling the air bypass io device to optimise the performance of the generator for a particular building configuration at a particular location. The data may be analysed using a machine learning algorithm for example.

Figure 5 is a side view of a building 70 similar to the building shown in Figures 1 to 3. In this further example, a wind-powered electricity generator 72 is provided. The generator 72 may comprise a single vertical axis wind turbine or a plurality of such turbines which may be arranged along the centre line 18 of the building (which extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of Figure 5).

The wind-powered electricity generator 72 may be self-supporting. It may be coupled to the structure of the building at either or both of its upper and lower ends Alternatively, the wind-powered electricity generator 72 may be designed to be mounted onto a separate supporting post or pillar. A generator of this form is the Alpha 311 vertical axis wind turbine marketed by Alpha 311 Limited, for example.

In plan view, the configuration of building 70 may generally correspond to that of building 10 as shown in Figure 2 3o A front view of building 70 is shown in Figure 6. Two different configurations of wind-powered electricity generators 72 are shown in the left-and right-hand sections of the building The roof 12 of the building is supported by a frame (formed of steel for example) comprising a horizontal member 80 supported by a series of vertical struts 82 which are located along the centre line 18 of the building and rigidly mounted on foundations located in the ground 20 in the regions 19. The leading edge 84 of the roof section 14 may be located around 3m above ground level and slope down to an inner, trailing edge 86 at a height of around 2m, for example. Electrical cabling 88 extends below ground level to carry output DC power from the electrical generators of the building to an inverter (not shown).

In order to support the wind-powered electricity generators 72, the building 70 includes ground-level support bars 90 which extend along its centre line 18. The io upper and lower ends of each generator are supported by the horizontal member 80 and a support bar 90, respectively. For example, upper and lower mountings 92, 94 may be provided on the horizontal member 80 and the support bar 90, respectively, for coupling to respective ends of a wind-powered electricity generator. The mountings may be suitably shaped (such as with a circular horizontal cross-section) Is for coupling to a wind-powered electricity generator designed to be mounted onto, and rotate around, a separate supporting post or pillar.

In the left-hand section of the building, the wind-powered electricity generators 72 are spaced apart and located immediately adjacent to each other. In the right-hand section of the building, a baffle 96 is located between adjacent pairs of generators to increase the speed of the wind incident on each generator. This configuration may be more appropriate in less windy locations.

The building 70 may include one or more air bypass devices 24 alongside the wind-powered electricity generators 72, in a similar manner to those included in the examples of Figures 3 and 4.

Claims

Claims I. A building comprising: a building structure; and a wind-powered electricity generator, wherein the building structure defines at least part of a first air flow path which extends from a first inlet end to the generator at a first outlet end; and the cross-sectional area of the first air flow path is smaller at the first outlet end than the first inlet end.
2. A building of claim 1 defining a second air flow path which extends from a second inlet end to the generator at a second outlet end, and the cross-sectional area of the second air flow path is smaller at the second outlet end than the second inlet end 3.
A building of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the building structure includes a roof, and part of the or each air flow path is defined by the roof 4.
A building of claim 3, wherein a surface formed by the roof defines part of the or each air flow path, and the height of the surface above ground level decreases from the inlet end to the outlet end of the or each air flow path.
A building of claim 3, wherein a surface formed by the roof defines part of the or each air flow path, and the height of the surface above ground level increases from the inlet end to the outlet end of the or each air flow path.
6 A building of any preceding claim, wherein the building structure comprises a car port 3o
7. A building of any preceding claim, wherein the building structure includes vertical panels which form part of the or each flow path.
8 A building of any preceding claim, wherein the generator comprises a wind turbine
9. A building of claim 8, wherein the wind turbine is a horizontal axis wind turbine.
10. A building of claim 8, wherein the wind turbine is a vertical axis wind turbine.
11 A building of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the generator comprises a io plurality of wind turbines
12. A building of claim 11, wherein the generator comprises an array of wind turbines arranged in a common plane.
13 A building of any preceding claim, wherein the generator includes a plurality of moveable elements for converting wind energy into vibrational kinetic energy.
14. A building of any preceding claim, including at least one solar-powered electricity generator.
15. A building of any preceding claim, wherein the outlet end of the or each air flow path comprises an air bypass device for selectively allowing air flowing along the air flow path to bypass the wind-powered electricity generator.
16. A building of claim IS including a wind speed sensor for generating a wind speed signal, wherein the air bypass device includes a controller communicatively coupled to the wind speed sensor to receive the wind speed signal and configured to control the air bypass device in response to the wind speed signal 3o
17. A building of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to open the air bypass device when the wind speed signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
18 A building of claim 15, wherein the air bypass device is a mechanical device only, which is configured to allow air to flow through it when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined threshold
19. A building of claim 15 or claim 18, wherein the air bypass device has a device body which defines at least one opening and the device includes a closure for closing the opening, wherein the closure is attached to the device body via a resilient coupling which urges the closure towards its closed position.
20. A building of any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the air bypass device includes a plurality of movable louvres.