A Study on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Effectiveness in Malaysia

Abstract

Wind  are  one  of  the  sources  of  renewable  energy  that  were  widely  used  around  the  world  especially  in  the  Western  and European countries as their wind speed are relatively high. In this study, wind energy performances are analysed and evaluated with the low wind speed in Malaysia. Low wind speed condition in Malaysia is vital in determining the wind turbines performance. A comparative study of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) and vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) applications were carried out and concluded that VAWT is the most suitable machine to be applied in Malaysia. The wind speed data for several cities in Malaysia were gathered using RetScreen software. Four small wind turbine commercial models were selected, and the output power curve were recorded. The power curves  were  compared  between  cities  with  monthly  mean  wind  speed  data  to  determine  the  power  generated  from  the  wind  turbine models.  The  results  showed  Langkawi  has  the  highest  annual  wind  speed  and  capable  to  produce  800W  of  power  in  December  to January. This power was produced by ReDriven wind turbines.