Small Wind Turbine power curves obtained in laboratory

This paper describes the methodology to obtain power curves of Small Wind Turbine Generators (SWTG) in laboratory. Power generator system includes a fan, wind tunnel, SWTG, power monitor, weather sensors, battery and a PC. A wind tunnel was adapted after an axial fan in order to reduce turbulence. Power curves were draw for different cases; varying the distance and the angle of the turbine. Tests showed that lower wind velocities are more susceptible to turbulence. Also, placing the anemometer is essential to obtain accurate data. Power curves obtained in laboratory for different horizontal angles of the SWTG have their own characteristic behavior, different from characteristic power curves when the SWTG is perpendicular to wind´s flow.