Impact of convex-side blade attachments on savonius vertical axis wind turbines performance at low wind speeds

Abstract Power generation using Wind energy does not contaminate and reduces the use of Fossil fuels contributing to sustainable development. The Savonius vertical axis wind turbines are omnidirectional and can operate in low-wind-speed regions, such as urban settings. Using 2D Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations at a low wind speed of 4.5 m/s, the effect of attachment on the convex side of standard Savonius blades with a fixed overlap ratio of 0.2 is examined in the current work. The findings indicate that, compared to all other rotor configurations with attachments, the rotor with an attachment measuring 187 mm in length and oriented 45° towards the incoming wind performs better. However, the configuration’s maximum power coefficient is lower than that of a traditional Savonius rotor. Thus, it is stated that attachments to the convex side negatively impact the rotor’s performance at a low wind speed of 4.5 m/s.