Experimental Study of the Effect of Winglets on Horizontal Wind Turbine (HAWT) Performance

Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) applications are primarily used for large wind energy capacities, and this is undoubtedly a problem for applications at a low-speed potential. However, developments related to improving performance for small-scale applications are still being studied, one of which is winglet blades. The application of winglets in aircraft provides advantages in reducing induced drag, leading to an increase in lift. Based on this case, the use of winglets in HAWT is an innovation that needs to be investigated to maximize its performance. In this study, the effect of winglet blades with the configuration of blades number and pitch angle was tested for their effect on wind speeds of 1.5 m/s to 5 m/s. In the results of the study, it can be seen that an increase in the pitch angle and wind speed affects the energy produced. In addition, it is known that an increase in the number of turbine blades will also increase energy and performance. In this case, the turbine performance with four winglet blades can produce the highest power, power coefficient (Cp), and tip speed ratio (TSR) of 11.34 Watt, 0.313 and 3.57, respectively.