Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 4575: Selection and Classification of Small Wind Turbines for Local Energy Systems: Balancing Efficiency, Climate Conditions, and User Comfort

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 4575: Selection and Classification of Small Wind Turbines for Local Energy Systems: Balancing Efficiency, Climate Conditions, and User Comfort

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18174575

Authors:
Waldemar Moska
Leszek Piechowski
Andrzej Łebkowski

Micro and small wind turbines (MAWTs) are increasingly integrated into residential and prosumer hybrid energy systems. However, their real-world performance often falls short of catalog specifications due to mismatched wind resources, siting limitations, and insufficient attention to human comfort. This paper presents a comprehensive decision-support framework for selecting the type and scale of MAWTs under actual local conditions. The energy assessment module combines aerodynamic performance scaling, wind speed-frequency modeling based on Weibull distributions, turbulence intensity adjustments, and component-level efficiency factors for both horizontal and vertical axis turbines. The framework addresses three key design objectives: efficiency—aligning turbine geometry and control strategies with local wind regimes to maximize energy yield; comfort—evaluating candidate designs for noise emissions, shadow flicker, and visual impact near buildings; and climate adaptation—linking turbine siting, hub height, and rotor type to terrain roughness, turbulence, and built environment characteristics. Case studies from low and moderate wind locations in Central Europe demonstrate how multi-criteria filtering avoids oversizing, improves the autonomy of hybrid PV–wind systems, and identifies configurations that may exceed permissible limits for noise or flicker. The proposed methodology enables evidence-based deployment of MAWTs in decentralized energy systems that balance technical performance, resilience, and occupant well-being.