| dc.description.abstract | The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has led to a growing interest in
wind energy as a viable and sustainable option. Home built wind turbines offer a cost
effective and accessible way for individuals and small communities to generate their own
electricity. However, optimizing the performance of these turbines is crucial to maximize
their power output and ensure their efficiency and reliability Wind energy greatly reduces
the world’s dependence on fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) and is environmentally
friendly. One of the most cost-effective alternatives of energy sources is wind power.
This study used a horizontal axis wind turbine to investigate the optimal blade pitch angle
that can give maximum electrical output. Specific areas of studies will be to identify the
various pitch angles, then validate the pitch angels for the maximum power produced by
the turbine. A proportional integral derivative pitch controller was used to establish blade
pitch angles. Wind speeds of 3, 4, 5 and 6 m/s were run at every pitch angle respectively,
and a maximum electrical power output was 1124.7W at a blade pitch angle of 16.80
when a wind speed of 6 m/s was used. Every wind speed had was run for 100 seconds. A
simulation, using Visual Basic 6 software, was done at the respective blade pitch angles,
and a wind speed of 6 m/s. The electricity produced was recorded. The simulated
electrical power produced yielded a relationship that predicted the electrical power
output with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9752; this shows a very close
agreement with actual electric output values. It is recommended that a similar study be
conducted to investigate maximum power output for vertical wind turbines. | en_US |
