The viability of smaller wind turbines for the generation of renewable energy on small acreages and boats is being looked at by a university researcher.
University of Newcastle PhD researcher David Bradney told the recent Clean Energy: Regional Responses conference he was looking at ways wind turbines could increase energy generation in small farms and mobile living spaces.
“Australia’s got a lot of solar, but there is certainly a market for small wind turbines and we’re looking at that,” Mr Bradney told ABC News.
Mr Bradney and his research team will look at how turbines can retain performance levels in varying weather conditions, with the hope of improving the performance of small wind turbines in the same way solar cell performance has progressed, as reported by Energy Business News.
“They work very well in applications where winds are quite constant, but as soon as you’ve got quite variable wind conditions there are a few challenges,” Mr Bradney said.
