The Potential for Urban Turbine use on Multi-Storey Housing in Glasgow

This paper describes the findings of a study that examines the feasibility of using wind turbines to meet residual energy demands of type T84 multi-storey housing blocks in Glasgow. The context for this work is the nature of housing provision in Scotland, which has a legacy of poor insulation and expensive heating, leading to significant problems of cold, dampness and fuel poverty. These problems are particularly prevalent in high-rise housing, which has additional problems associated with high exposure, and are further exacerbated by the technical difficulties of possible improvement measures. The study indicates that certain characteristics of multi-storey housing blocks may be used to their advantage when considering the use of turbines. Advantages include; increased wind-speed with elevation, robust structure, good services infrastructure, availability of thermal mass and storage heating, and available grid connections. The study concludes that some or all residual demand could practically be met using existing turbine forms, depending on other energy saving interventions. The study also identifies areas of further research that include investigating developments in both building and turbine form to increase capacity.