Application of wind energy into the transportation sector
Department
Construction Management
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2021
Abstract
The global transport sector is heavily dependent on fossil fuels as a vital source of energy. This has adversely affected the climate. This climate change necessitates that technologies employing renewable and clean energy should be utilized in the global transportation sector. To address this issue, in this study, a small wind turbine was implemented on a vehicle, such that it is able to capture the air when the vehicle is in motion to generate the required energy to run the vehicle. Consequently, theoretical modeling and experimental calculation were conducted to confirm the utilization of wind by the turbine of the running vehicle to generate electricity through the conversion process of its electrical subsystem, thereby powering the vehicle as a self-sufficient energy mechanism that can be commercialized. The results show that a car moving at 10 kph produces 8 kWh, for an average wind speed of 2 kph. As a standard car requires 20 kWh to get fully energized, the results indicate that it is possible to fully charge the car and run it for 200 kilom if the car runs at 10 kph for two hours during charging. Consequently, if the car runs at 60 kph, it will take require 20 min to get fully charged and run for the same distance. The findings of this research suggest that the large-scale adoption of wind energy, which is completely clean and available in abundance, to run vehicles can be an innovative solution to meet the energy demand of the global transportation sector.
Journal Title
International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing - Green Technology
Journal ISSN
22886206
Volume
8
Issue
4
First Page
1225
Last Page
1237
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1007/s40684-020-00235-1