M. Capellaro, Good News for Wind Energy, EWEC2009 CB4: How local benefits foster public acceptance of wind energy 1 Good News for Wind Energy The Racing.

M. Capellaro, “Good News for Wind Energy“, EWEC2009 CB4: How local benefits foster public acceptance of wind energy 1

Good News for Wind EnergyThe Racing Aeolus contest, the Inventus vehicle

and the public acceptance of wind turbines

Mark Capellaro1, Alexander Miller1, Tobias Klaus1, Jan Lehmann1, Sylvia Scheper2, L.G.J.

Janssen3, Martin Kühn1

1Endowed Chair of Wind Energy, University of Stuttgart, Germany

2Association of Technology Transfer-Noord Holland(ATO),Den Helder, NL

3Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN), Petten, NL

Email: [email protected]: N Hoppe

2 M. Capellaro, “Good News for Wind Energy“, EWEC2009

Presentation Contents

• Racing Aeolus – the contest• Universität Stuttgart and the Inventus wind vehicle

– Design, Manufacture, Testing• PR and sponsors (Stuttgart)• Race Day! The race in Den Helder

– Problems, results, winners...• Results and conclusions


Public Acceptance: Difference between cute and not cute

Public Acceptance: make things less scary.

Acceptable, adorable and good PR

Same animal, scaled up.


Racing Aeolus and the ATO (Associatie Technologie Overdracht)

Racing Aeolus Contest• Race a land vehicle, powered by the wind,

directly into the wind• Promotion Event for the North Holland

Province, Den Helder, NL• Race announced summer 2007• Websites: www.ato.nl,

www.windenergyevents.com

Den Helder, next stop, the Shetland Islands

• Held the same time as the Tall Ships Race (~300,000 visitors)

Photo: N Hoppe

Photo: E. Weßbecher


Racing Aeolus

• Six teams entered the contest• Most important rules:

– Power storage devices to be empty at the start.– Dimensions

• Max Height: 3.5m

• Max Length: 4

• Max Width: 2m

– Rotor safety mesh– Multiple brakes

• Rotor brake (failsafe)

• Wheel brakes

• Regulations determined the design envelopeInventus Early Design Study


Racing Aeolus Contestants 1

ZephyrosEntry from CRES, the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources, Greece

Photos: N Mittelmeier

ECN ImpulseEntry from ECN, the Energy Research Center for the Netherlands *

winDTUrbineRacerEntry from Risoe and the DTU, the Danish Technical University


Racing Aeolus Contestants 2University of

Applied Science Flensburg, Germany

Photos: S Scheper

‚Baltic Thunder‘ University of

Applied Science Kiel, Germany


Universität Stuttgart SWE Inventus Team

Inventus Stuttgart entered early• Design starts late 2007• Two student masters‘ project • Third team member for PR, sponsors,

promotion

• The design process brought in many interested students

• Hands-on project utilizing their analytical skills and the IFB composite workshop

• Many willing handsPhoto: T. Klaus


Inventus Design and Manufacture

The IFB Laboratory has all the facilities to build the fiber composite components.

The design was guided by the manufacturing capabilities at the IFB and the regulations from the Racing Aeolus organization.

Photos: A Miller

Braiding the frame

Braiding technique

Photo: T. Klaus


Inventus Design and ManufactureThe decision was made to

create a standard turbine but surround it with a diffusor to maximize the incoming wind.

Photo: J. Graf

The blades were designed in-house and designed to drive a wind auto (minimize thrust and maximize power).

Photos: A. Miller

Pitch control, just like a commercial turbinePhotos: T. Klaus

Photo: J. Graf

Photo: A. Miller

Photo: T. Klaus

Photo: A. Miller


Inventus Design and TestingThe Universität Stuttgart Institute

for Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics has a 6m diameter wind canal.

This allowed us to test the Inventus rotor and vehicle on campus.

A donated glider hull improved the aerodynamic results.

Photo: J. Graf

Photos: A. Miller

Source: N. Mittelmeier , T. Klaus

Photo: N. Mittelmeier


Inventus PR

The PR team was very pro-active.

First press conference before a design was finalized

“Land of Ideas“ prize was held on the University‘s annual Day of Science.

Many interested visitors

Interest grew as the race approached.


Inventus and the Press

Inventus and the Press


Inventus Sponsors

The press attention helped us gain support.

Local suppliers helped out with discounts, know-how, advice (and the ability to suspend their disbelief).

Other support came as training, design tips and ideas and funding.


The Race - Racing Aeolus – Den Helder, NL


The Race - Racing Aeolus – Den Helder, NL

The race: two teams at a time and against one another and the clock.

However technical/design difficulties eliminated some competitors.

The teams that did manage to run also experienced (repeated) failures.

(Prototype vehicles, steep learning curve.)

Photos: N Hoppe

Repair: Hands on student project!

Collapsed bicycle cassette gear. Too much power!


Results - Racing Aeolus

• The race schedule was modified due to technical difficulties • 10 heats were run between the (race ready) vehicles.• With the repairs came improvements, most vehicles improved in speed

and reliability. (This is a good sign for next year.)• Overall winner was Inventus Uni Stuttgart with a topic speed ratio of 65%

of the wind speed (~20 km/h)• (3min 13 seconds over 1km against an average wind of 8.8ms (32km/h))

Photos: N Hoppe


Conclusions: Public Acceptance and Wind Energy

Lessons from the race• Local teams drive local

interest.• The spectators were very

interested in the mechanics.

• Small scale allowed people to see the basics of wind power.

Lessons from the project• Great student project (see

poster No. 35!)• Local companies very

supportive of project.• People are more supportive

of technology when they understand it (and benefit from it)


Inventus, Aeolus & the next race

• Racing Aeolus 2009 is the week of 17-21 August 2009 Open to all! – (No annoying Tall Ships Race to distract!)

• Great opportunity to interest local companies, universities, students in a hands-on project.

• Promotes wind energy, demonstrates the technology on a human scale.

Looking

1. forward to next year

2. for sponsors

3. towards the next rain stormTeam Inventus (Blue) ECN Impulse (Yellow)


Team InVentus Endowed Chair of Wind Energy

Allmandring 5B70550 Stuttgart – Vaihingen

www.inventus.uni-stuttgart.de

Tel. 0711 / 685 66204E-Mail: [email protected]

with thanks to

SusiMathiasPeterJonasEvaWolfgangFlorianJochenFrankMerchatNikoMartin KühnKatharinaJochen GrafAndreas RettenmeierIFBSWEIAGITLR

M. Capellaro, Good News for Wind Energy, EWEC2009 CB4: How local benefits foster public acceptance of wind energy 1 Good News for Wind Energy The Racing.

Documents

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ewec2009 inventus design

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ewec2009 inventus pr

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