Who is conducting research and development on small, wind energy generation?

The Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center was asked to provide information on recent and ongoing efforts to field small-scale wind-power designs generating ≤100 kW to serve standalone electrical loads not connected to a utility distribution system or local microgrid. Sources include work from U.S. Department of Defense entities, academic scholars, and industrial/commercial products or research. Additional parameters for the inquiry include a focus on: (1) use cases in urban or urban-like environments, (2) designs with minimal profiles and space requirements (i.e., bladeless or with small blades), and (3) the ability to interface with a controllable (or “smart”) grid. A short digest of key articles on small-scale wind applications is also requested. To achieve this, HDIAC researched this topic and generated a report on the findings for the various research or technologies in this area. HDIAC identified a number of recently fielded (or soon to prototype) designs that are relevant to the requestor’s parameters, including enclosed- or confined-blade turbines, bladeless or motionless turbines, and airborne or suspended wind-capture systems.