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Yes, the loss is greater, but it is usually feasible in almost any residential area. With a classic wind turbine like that, the neighbor often ends up on the roof with the installer.

As for what is technically possible or the load capacity, it really depends on the specific conditions at the site. I could imagine placing something like that decoupled directly on a flat roof, completely without a mast.

Whether it is worth it... as always, a matter of calculation.

f-pNo schrieb:
@T21150 I think I read about half a year ago that a wind turbine for power generation is not allowed on a roof. I found the idea very interesting back then. As far as I know, it has to be a stand-alone unit. If it is allowed on the roof, you definitely have to plan for reinforced anchoring so that the wind turbine doesn’t tear half the house down during a storm.

Hi,

to be honest, I’m not exactly sure about this. In Wuppertal, in the show home park, there is, as mentioned, a house with such a wind turbine. The latest technologies are installed there, all with photovoltaic systems, houses interconnected, and so on.

Actually, one should say it’s a wind spiral, not a real wind turbine. It looks more like a “huge candle lamp made of helical blades.” The device is mounted on the roof.

As far as I know, these houses—show home park or not—are built according to regulations.

Since this topic still interests me (with or without money 😉), I’ve wanted to visit the show home park again for a long time and talk to the people living in that house about it. But due to my accident in January, I haven’t had the time or energy. As soon as I get details (type, design, output, costs, structural engineering, lifespan, permitting processes), I’ll post them here in the forum.

Best regards,
Thorsten

@T21150
This sounds very much like the vertical rotors mentioned above. It seems that the least powerful element was installed with this "spiral" design, as I have read.
From my perspective, it would be interesting to know to what extent the roof and beams had to be reinforced, and how the system was fixed inside the house. For example, does the upper floor require a concrete slab? Is installation and fixing possible on typical wooden subfloors/wooden ceilings? How are vibrations and any increased pressure caused by wind managed?

You might want to take these questions with you if you ever get the chance to visit the model home park. 😉

Hi f-pNo!

Such a device doesn’t produce much power – I estimate the maximum output at about 1 kW.

Here, in this wind corridor used for kite flying, it would definitely be noticeable. As I said, I suspect I would get a solid yield from it. After all, small gains add up over time.

I *suspect* that with this vertical/spiral design, the horizontal forces and vibrations would be significantly lower compared to a conventional wind turbine. I also think you wouldn’t need major reinforcements for such a setup. Wind loads on a wall or roof are certainly much higher than the forces generated by this kind of spiral. For example, the loads on a chimney are probably enormous in comparison. The same goes for a satellite dish… plus the stresses from thermal collectors and photovoltaic panels on top of that.

I’m keeping your questions in mind and will take them with me. Hopefully, I can make it to the model home park during the upcoming public holiday next week, that’s my plan.

Of course, I’ll let you know as soon as I find out more. I’m really curious myself to see what results I get and how it turns out.

Best regards,
Thorsten

T21150 schrieb:

I *suspect* that with this vertical/spiral design, the horizontal forces and vibrations generated are likely significantly lower compared to a conventional wind turbine. I also think that such a device wouldn’t require any substantial structural reinforcements. The wind loads on a wall or roof are definitely much higher than the forces produced by a spiral like this. The loads on a chimney are probably huge in comparison. And also the satellite dish... plus the strain from thermal collectors and photovoltaic panels as well...

According to a website dealing with small wind turbines (Google), the disadvantages compared to a horizontal system are:
Lower Efficiency
A major disadvantage of vertical small wind turbines lies in their lower efficiency. While horizontal turbines can achieve a so-called specific power output of up to 50%, the value for vertical axis turbines is at most 40%. Horizontal turbines often produce significantly more electricity than vertical ones.
Lower Cost-effectiveness
From the lower efficiency and reduced electricity yields follows the most important disadvantage: the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by vertical wind turbines is generally significantly higher than that of horizontal wind turbines.
High Vibrations and Loads
Vertical turbines can cause strong resonances.
Low Hub Height
The rotors are positioned close to the ground due to unfavorable vibrations. Horizontal wind turbines can be mounted on a tower or mast to reach higher air layers.

However, I would not necessarily consider the mentioned disadvantage of “low hub height” a drawback within a residential area.

Who needs more than 1 kWp anyway?

If a system consistently operates at one-third of its capacity, it covers the entire demand of our base load, and we are not even economical when it comes to standby, refrigerator, and continuous power consumers.