Building-mounted Micro-wind Turbines on High-rise and Commercial Buildings

This report provides guidance on the most effective height and location for wind turbine installations on the roofs of tall buildings. It describes research to characterise the wind conditions over a range of building heights from 15m to 80 m and to provide advice on the height and location of wind turbine installations to maximise their potential for wind power generation. There is an increasing trend to mount wind turbines on the roofs of tall buildings where they have the potential to generate useful levels of energy due to the advantages from increased wind resource at these heights and the reduced shelter and turbulence from surrounding buildings. However, there is limited advice available regarding the most effective height and location for wind turbine installations on the roofs of tall buildings. Inappropriate siting of the turbines can lead to installations which do not realise their full potential resulting in severely limited power generation possibilities.