Comparative Analysis Among Different Performance Improvement Techniques for Wind Turbines in Terms of Energy and Economy for Small, Medium, and Large-Scale Applications

With a view to finding the best approach to maximize the wind energy harvesting from wind turbines, this research has focused towards assessing the effects of different innovative modifications to wind turbines at different wind speed conditions and comparing them in terms of aerodynamic performance, economy, and environmental impact. This study illustrates strategies like, active and passive flow control, incorporation of power augmentation devices (PADs) and biomimetic approaches, have huge potential to increase the output power of both the horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) and vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). Literature survey reveals that boundary layer suction method from active flow control, diffusers as PADs and inspiration from flapping flight of insects from biomimetic approach can enhance the power coefficients of the turbine by 18.08%, 96%, and 35%, respectively. Furthermore, capacity factor (CF) and economic analysis showed that turbine modifications providing high-CFs and low cost of energy (COE) will have priorities over the others, while selecting suitable turbines in a particular region. Moreover, it is evident that combining the best modifications for each strategy (active control, passive control, PADs, and biomimetic approaches) can lead to the maximum improvement in the overall performance of the turbines in terms of energy and economy.