NREL's NWTC test center (Colorado)
"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1660224"
This field test was performed on the GE 1.5 MW SLE wind turbine at the NREL's National Wind Technology Center. Baseline and deflectors data sets were collected for about 4 months each. All data was collected and processed using IEC 61400-12-1 power performance by NREL engineers. Estimated AEP increase due to deflectors between 2-4%, depending on the site annual average wind speed. Official NREL report available, contact us!
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Windward Engineering (Utah)
NREL Regional Testing Center
"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1549223"
This field test was performed on two Endurance turbines of 5kW and 50kW at Windward Engineering. Both turbines performances were measured without deflectors for about 100 valid hours. Then, the turbines were retrofitted with deflectors and their power performances were measured for more than 100 valid hours. All data is collected and processed using IEC 61400-12-1 power performance standards. Estimated AEP increase due to deflectors between 2-8% for both turbines, depending on the site annual average wind speed as shown in the figures below.
5kW Turbine
50kW Turbine
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Appalachian University Wind Testing Center (North Carolina)
The field test was performed on a Whisper 100 wind turbine at the Wind Application Center at Appalachian State University. The turbine performance was measured without deflectors for 2 weeks. The turbine was retrofitted with deflectors and its power performance was measured for another 2 weeks. All data is collected and processed using IEC 61400-12-1 power performance standards for small wind turbines. An average Cp improvement of 7.7% was observed during this test. Estimated AEP increase between 8.7 - 11.4 %, depending on the site annual average wind speed.
Rutgers University Wind Tunnel (New Jersey)
The wind tunnel test was performed at the wind tunnel facility at Rutgers University. Two identical wind turbines were designed using BEM theory. The models were 3D printed, one with deflectors on its blades and the other one without deflectors. An average power coefficient (Cp) improvement of 10% was observed during this test.
