The document discusses the potential for small wind turbines in urban environments, noting that while technical challenges exist, none are insurmountable with proper design and risk management. It explores early examples of small wind turbines installed in cities and argues that reducing costs and widespread installations could provide real energy benefits, especially when combined with energy management strategies. Overall, the document presents small wind as a viable distributed renewable energy option for urban areas.

1. Small Wind in Buildings and
Urban Developments
Carlos Ortiz
Arup Energy
Los Angeles, CA

4. From: Portland Center Stage's production
The History (and Mystery) of the Universe
Based on the life of R. Buckminster Fuller

5. New York Times, 17 January 1974

6. New York Times, 17 January 1974
“Wind power is in a class by itself as the greatest terrestrial medium for
harvesting, harnessing and conserving solar energy. The water and air waves
circulating around our planet are unsurpassed energy accumulators whose
captured energy may be used to generate electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic
power systems.”
Buckminster Fuller
New York Times, 17, January, 1974

7. 20,000 MW Installed Capacity
• Producing enough electricity to serve 5.3 million
American homes or power a fleet of more than 1
million plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Source: AWEA / Photography: Iberdrola Renewable Energies USA/PPL Corp.

8. 20% of Energy from
Wind by 2030

9. Major Challenges:
“Investment in the nation’s transmission system so the power generated
is delivered to urban centers that need the increasing supply.
Continued reduction in wind capital cost and improvement in turbine
performance through technology advancement and improved
manufacturing capabilities.”
DOE 20% Wind Energy by 2030
May 2008

10. Cumulative Installed Wind Capacity
Source: AWEA

11. Cumulative Installed Wind Capacity
Production Tax Credit
(PTC) expired 3 times in
Seven years
Source: AWEA

12. Wind Energy 101

13. What is Wind Energy?
Source: NASA

14. Mandatory Textbook Slide

15. Betz Law
Photographs: Danish Wind Industry Association

16. Maximum Energy Attainable
 8 
P max =   * ρ * A * v 3
 27 
•Density of Air
•Swept Area of Turbine
•Cube of Wind speed

17. Betz Law
Image: Danish Wind Industry Association

18. Power Curves
Image: Arup
• Gamesa G80-2 MW Power Curve

19. Wind Distribution
Image: Arup

20. Wind Distribution Translation
Image: Arup

21. Distributed Generation
Photograph: Arup
Photograph: Arup
Photograph: Arup

22. Distributed Generation
• The Bureaucrat
Photograph: Arup

23. Distributed Generation
• The Workaholic
Photograph: Arup

24. Distributed Generation
• The Artist
Photograph: Arup

25. Technical Challenges
• Noise
• Vibrations
• Structural Integrity
• Shadow Flicker
• Low Capacity Factors

26. Risk Matrix
Arup

27. Risk Management Strategies
• Predictive and Preventive Maintenance Program
• Corrective Maintenance Response Program
• Diagnosis / Failure Detection System
• Turbine Locking System
• Fire Extinguishing System

28. Liability Chart
Negligible Liability.
Considerably less than the cost of the wind energy investment.
Limited Liability.
Up to the cost of the wind energy investment.
Unlimited Liability.
From the cost of the wind energy investment to unlimited liability.

29. Wind flow
2D CFD model
Arup, 2007

30. Arup, 2007

31. HAWT
Photography: Richard Drew, Arup, Jan 2005

32. VAWT
Photographs: Quiet Revolution CO, UK

33. Axial Fan
Photographs: Windside

34. The Energy Question

35. Economic Growth and Energy Use

36. Energy Demand on the Rise

37. Made by Khebab of The Oil Drum

38. Dongtan
Arup, 2007

39. Arup, 2007

40. The 70’s Energy Crisis

41. The 70’s Energy Crisis
Cover of Mechanix Illustrated, November 1975

42. The 70’s Energy Crisis
Dermont McGuigan, Small Scale Wind Power, 1978

43. New York Energy Task Force, 1977

44. Arup

45. Lebost Wind Turbine
From: “The Lebost wind Turbine Experimental Program at New York University”
(Department of Applied Science, NYU, 1980)

46. Lebost Wind Turbine
Photograph: Jon Naar

47. Lebost Wind Turbine
“This report details the results of an experimental field test/evaluation of a 20-foot
diameter Lebost turbine.
One conclusion of the study is that the turbine lends itself rather well to urban
applications, as well as other applications.”
“Lebost wind turbine experimental program”
New York Univ., NY (USA). Dept. of Applied Science May 1, 1980
Photograph: Jon Naar

48. Travis Price &
The Wind Farmers of East 11th Street, NYC
Photograph: Jon Naar / The New York Times
Photograph: D. Gorton/The New York Times, 1977

49. Photograph: Jon Naar

50. “The energy commission essentially said to Con Ed,
‘You’ve got to buy their power’,” Mr. Norris said. “That was huge.”
By Josh Weil
Published: August 3, 2008
The New York Times
Photograph: Jon Naar

51. “But the turbine never worked well enough to provide power for the entire building,
which, by 1977 or so, was home to 25 or 30 people. Either wind speeds were too
low to generate to get a charge from Con Ed, the windmill provided insufficient
power.
Still, until 1985, when a blade was blown off during a hurricane, the windmill
produced enough power to light communal areas and heat water. For the next two
decades or so, its remnants jutted into the sky until, sometime in the last few years,
the tower was dismantled. sufficient power or turbulence from gusts produced a
deafening noise from the windmill and caused the building to shake. Moreover,
during the major blackout in 1977, unable to get a charge from Con Ed the windmill
provided insufficient power.”
By Josh Weil
Published: August 3, 2008
The New York Times
Photograph: Jon Naar

52. The 00’s Energy & Environmental Crisis /
Global Warming and Energy Security

53. Photograph: The Inconvenient Truth

54. The Green Boom

55. Arup's VAWTEX
Mike Rainbow

56. Lo-Fi Wind Tunnel
Photograph: Arup, 2002

57. Mike Rainbow
Photograph: Arup, 2002

58. Bahrain World Trade Center
Photograph: Sami T

59. Bahrain’s Wind Distribution
Arup

64. Discovery Tower
(Houston Texas)
•Gensler
•Arup
•CPP
Image: Gensler

66. CPP, 2007

67. CPP, 2007

68. CPP, 2007

69. Gensler

70. Gensler

71. Gensler

72. My Conclusions:
1. Capital Cost of small wind turbines must reduce dramatically if
they are to provide good economic returns.
2. Technical challenges exist but none that can not be
conquered. Good design and risk management strategies are
a must.
3. Real energy benefits can be achieved by mass installations in
combination with resource management schemes.
4. Overboard fancy engineering / building integration costs can
kill the benefits of BIWT.

73. Any Questions?

74. Except for that one