Power electronics solutions for Vertical Axis urban wind turbines

Although urban wind energy might seem closely related to the more familiar large-scale wind farms, the underlying drivers are substantially different. It is not surprising, therefore, that the resulting engineering solutions look very different. In particular, the gusty, turbulent wind conditions associated with the urban wind resource make it desirable to achieve ¿gust tracking¿. This paper reviews the main drivers of urban wind and in particular the issue of gusty winds. It then presents one specific solution, the quiet revolution qr5 VAWT, with a particular focus on the unusual power electronics solution deployed to achieve gust tracking capability. Results from test and real-world measurements explore the performance of such a solution.