Our Proposed Solution
Our intended solution to the self-starting problem of the Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine that differs from other solutions is the incorporation of a solar panel. As seen in our proposed schematic, the solar panel will be capable of charging and maintaining a battery that will power a dc motor. The dc motor will be used to keep the turbine spinning even in times of low wind. Our intended design is to have the motor disengage from the turbine when the wind gets the turbine spinning fast enough (less than 3mph winds are all that is needed to allow the turbine to rotate under its own power). To accomplish this, a microcontroller will be installed into the system that will disengage the dc motor once the turbine is under its own power. The turbine itself will run directly into an alternator which eliminates the need for gear boxes. The alternator is built to output a dc voltage so in order to use the energy that will be stored in the batteries the entire system output will be run through an inverter to change the dc voltage to an ac current which is what household appliances operate off of.
The solar panel chosen is an amorphous panel. This type of solar panel is more appealing than a standard monocrystalline silicon panel because it is made to work regardless of direct sunlight. Even in times of low sunlight or cloudy days this panel would still be capable of emitting a voltage to maintain the battery.
The solar panel chosen is an amorphous panel. This type of solar panel is more appealing than a standard monocrystalline silicon panel because it is made to work regardless of direct sunlight. Even in times of low sunlight or cloudy days this panel would still be capable of emitting a voltage to maintain the battery.