Design and Prototyping of a Hybrid Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine with Dual-Axis Solar Tracking for Portable Renewable Power Generation

This document presents the complete technical report for the design, optimisation, and prototyping of a hybrid renewable energy system integrating a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) with a dual-axis solar tracking photovoltaic array. The work was conducted collaboratively by myself and my course colleagues as the final-year MEng Mechanical Engineering with Management Group Design Project at the University of Manchester (2024/25).The project addresses the need for portable, scalable, and efficient off-grid power generation by combining:H-rotor VAWT optimised for omnidirectional wind capture and structural stability in variable wind conditions.Dual-axis solar tracking PV array designed to maximise incident irradiance via precision closed-loop control.Integrated power management system enabling concurrent energy harvesting from wind and solar sources.Technical scope includes:Mechanical design, CAD modelling, and finite element analysis (FEA) within an 0.8 m³ design envelope.Prototyping using CNC-machined, 3D-printed, and fabricated components, guided by Design for Assembly (DfA) principles.Electrical system design for hybrid energy conversion, storage, and load management.Reliability engineering through Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) to identify and mitigate potential failure modes.Experimental validation against design specifications with scalability analysis for industrial deployment.This public, redacted version retains full technical content, schematics, and results, with personal identifiers removed