Use of hyperbolic solar collector to drive a conventional wind turbine
Summary
Wind turbines represent the most successful source of renewable energy to date - but wind power is unpredictable. Solar energy is completely reliable and predictable. The principles of the solar air collector, the solar chimney and the venturi are used to devise a configuration that converts solar energy into wind energy with moderate efficiency. Suitable dimensions are devised for a hyperbolic shaped solar collector to provide the air flow to drive a horizontal rotation, vertical axis wind turbine. To provide air flow for a turbine of diameter 100 m at its rated velocity 15 ms-1 at insolation 750 wm-2 requires a solar collector of height 50 m and diameter 460 m. This gives an output of 15.6 MW with an efficiency of 12.6%.
The author asks experts in wind and solar energy to consider the proposal, to carry out assessments using computational fluid dynamics and other approaches and to develop the ideas.