Experimental characterization of the Ayanz vertical axis windmill in mini wind applications and contributions in the simplification of the associated electronics

Within the current energy revolution, wind energy is playing an increasing role. However, small-scale generation technologies, such as mini-wind turbines, are less developed. In this paper, firstly, the feasibility of the recently rediscovered Ayanz mill for small-scale power generation will be studied. As a main result, it has been concluded that the Ayanz windmill with deflector is comparable to current turbine designs such as the Savonius. In addition, two alternatives have been proposed to simplify the associated electronics and increase the efficiency of the system: first, avoiding the need for a microcontroller by using an analog circuit that emulates the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) control; and another alternative avoiding the use of a power converter or active control, simplifying the whole system. Keywords: mini-wind turbine, MPPT, Ayanz windmill, wind energy, low-cost control, open access