Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Sri Lankan Southern Highway

Abstract

Based on studies, most of the areas in Sri Lanka have an average amount of wind that could be resourceful in generating wind power. The area from Colombo along the coastal line to Matara is considered to have less wind potential. It’s a major disadvantage to the country’s energy generation plan as wind is one of the best renewable energy sources available in Sri Lanka. Concerning the energy crisis in the country, the necessity for a renewable energy source has arisen. Since renewable resources are used as standalone systems, the level of advancement increases while reducing the amount of stress on the main electrical grid when balancing the frequency. Highways can be followed as one of the country’s leading divisions that could be used for the use of renewable energy. The southern expressway in Sri Lanka requires an average of 375 kW of electricity only for lighting purposes. If the lights are turned on for 12 hours, then the amount of energy requirement is 4,500 KWh. It would save a considerable amount of energy from the national grid if that energy could be provided using renewable sources. This reduction of energy consumption from the main grid would benefit both the authorities of the Sri Lankan power system and the public. To address the aforementioned issue, a vertical axis wind turbine is proposed in this project to be installed on highways. The main requirements of the project are highlighted in the introduction and problem statement. All the details of the outcomes such as optimized rotor, gear system, generator and the PIC-based power management system are explained in detail with the steps taken to optimize the system at every possible step. There are plans which may facilitate the future development of the product included in the latter part of the document.