Review of Recent Works on Internet of Things-enabled Small-scale Wind energy Portable Turbines (IoT-SWEPT) for Wind Energy

Abstract

In recent years, efforts to harness wind power worldwide have accelerated. Researchers identified locations for potential Wind farms (with sufficient outputs) near the northern coastal regions. However, assuming these wind farms were built and power was generated, this power still needs to be transmitted to the end-user through the electrical Grid. Due to the remote locations of these farms, and the very nature of Wind Power, integrating this power into the Grid becomes a challenge. An alternative source of Wind Power could be the world’s vast network of superhighways and city roads. Recent studies in Malaysia showed that the annual aerodynamic energy loss of moving vehicles on Malaysian highways is estimated at 1.2 MTOE (Million Tons of Oil Equivalent, with 1 TOE =11.63MWh). In recent years, advances in Small-scale Wind energy Portable Turbines (SWEPT) have made them a viable option. Furthermore, the Internet of Things (IoT) could play a role in further enhancing these SWEPT units by connecting them to the cloud to enable remote monitoring and controlling. These IoT-SWEPT would allow developers and researchers to monitor deployed SWEPT units from anywhere and anytime, so long as they are connected and hold proper credentials. This paper reviews recent reports on these developments.