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Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 8 (2014) 42–56

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/seta

Original Research Article

A preliminary energy and environmental assessment of a micro wind
turbine prototype in natural protected areas

Livio de Santoli a, Angelo Albo b, Davide Astiaso Garcia b, Daniele Bruschi b,⇑, Fabrizio Cumo a

a Interdisciplinary Centre for Landscape, Building, Conservation, Environment (CITERA), Sapienza University of Rome, Via Antonio Gramsci, 53, 00197 Rome, Italy
b Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering (DIAEE), Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana, 18, 00184 Rome, Italy

article info abstract

Article history: This paper presents a preliminary energy and environmental analysis of a vertical-axis micro wind
Received 29 January 2014 turbine with a nominal electric power of 3.7 kW. This prototype is called AM300.
Revised 1 July 2014
Accepted 11 July 2014 The main aim of the paper is to assess the amount of electric energy production of the AM300 and its
feasible use in low wind speed areas. Furthermore, analyzing its low environmental impact, a potential
Keywords: installation in a natural protected area was considered.
Micro wind turbines
Wind and solar hybrid system The turbine power curve was estimated by anemometric measurements. Furthermore, foreseeable
Environmental assessment prototype hybridization with PV array was analyzed.
Energy analysis
The environmental performance was assessed evaluating the soil, hydro geological, biodiversity and
noise impacts. Finally, an analysis of the CO2 emissions avoided is reported. The obtained results show
good sustainability perspectives.

Introduction In this context, the small wind turbine technology (with power
smaller than 200 kW) is improving quickly. It should be noted that
Considering that the increasing cost of fossil fuels and the cur- wind turbines classiﬁcations (small, medium and large size) are
rent levels of greenhouse gas emissions indicate the need to diver- different from a country to another and vary over time with the
sify the global energy production [1], the main international technology evolution. Nowadays, rapid technological advances
energy agencies foresee that in the next years the electric energy have made micro turbines increasingly affordable to private mar-
amount produced by renewable energy sources will continue to ket, and many governments worldwide are providing for this sec-
grow. In this framework, thanks to lower environmental impacts tor particular installation incentives in the form of tax breaks or
respect to traditional resources, a continuous and rapid improve- feed-in tariffs. Accordingly, the number of micro wind turbines
ment of wind energy technologies has been registered [2], offering has grown rapidly over the last years. In Italy, the incentive of wind
a valid alternative to conventional power systems [3]. turbines (size less than 200 kW) is now regulated by the Ministe-
rial Decree 6 July 2012–‘‘Incentives for no photovoltaic renewable
During the last decade, according to IEA statistics, onshore wind electrical energy’’ [6]. Basically, regarding to small wind systems,
has an average annual growth rate of 27%. In particular, global the incentive scheme presents a distinction based on size:
wind power capacity was 238 GW in 2011, up from just 18 GW
at the end of 2000 [4]. power 1–60 kW (direct access to the incentive);
power 60–200 kW (access by ofﬁcial registration).
According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA),
the total wind power capacity installed in the European Union is In both cases, the incentive is paid in the form of all-inclusive
105.6 GW representing about the 11% of EU power mix. Only dur- feed-in tariff. Furthermore, looking at Annex 1 of the mentioned
ing 2012, 11895 MW were installed (10729 MW onshore and Decree, it is possible to note that incentive scheme (reported in
1166 MW offshore). In this framework, in 2012, with 1273 MW Table 1) seeks to reward small wind systems.
(and reaching a cumulative installed capacity of 8144 MW), Italy
was the third EU country in terms of annual installations [5]. These considerations show that micro wind turbines (with a
capacity below 20 kW) take advantage by a double beneﬁt: the
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 06 49918585; fax: +39 06 49918646. no registration cost and the higher incentive tariff. The incentives
increase has determined in recent years a signiﬁcant increase in
E-mail address: daniele.bruschi@uniroma1.it (D. Bruschi).

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