Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180

www.elsevier.com/locate/enbuild

Prototype development of the rooftop turbine ventilator

powered by hybrid wind and photovoltaic energy
Chi-Ming Lai *
Department of Construction Technology, Leader University, Taiwan
Received 20 March 2005; received in revised form 21 May 2005; accepted 5 June 2005

Abstract

In order to respond the suggestions made in the previous works, such as (1) improving the design of the rooftop ventilator commonly used
in Taiwan, (2) making the ‘‘push–pull’’ airflow model in the ventilation duct effective for the bathroom ventilation and (3) combining the
energy demands of the ventilator with renewable energy to reduce energy consumption, this study develops a prototype of the rooftop turbine
ventilator powered by hybrid wind and photovoltaic energy. A low-speed wind tunnel experiment is performed to investigate the prototype’s
ventilation performance. The experimental results indicate installing an inner fan at low outdoor wind speed (0 and 5 m/s) increases the
ventilation rate. The ventilation rate was not improved by installing an inner fan at a high outdoor wind speed. A rated rotation speed close to
1500 rpm is highly recommended when installing the inner fan. This study also introduces the general application modes of the proposed
ventilator, and their electricity specifications.
# 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Ventilator; Renewable energy; Ventilation

1. Introduction 1.2. Enhancement of the ventilation rate by rooftop

1.1. Healthy indoor air environment
Indoor air quality in Taiwan is poor due to congested
living spaces, highly airtight buildings, poor air circulation
and lack of ventilation. This problem has been receiving
increasing attention recently. Furthermore, many typical
indoor pollutants (oil–aerosol, water vapor, carbon mon-
oxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) are
found in Taiwanese buildings, owing to local cooking and
showering customs. Properly inducing natural ventilation
can significantly improve indoor air quality, while also
decreasing reliance on air-conditioning, thus cutting energy
consumption. This field of environmental design engineer-
ing requires further research.
* Tel.: +886 6 255 0980; fax: +886 6 255 3225.
E-mail address: lcm@mail.leader.edu.tw.
turbine ventilator
Previous works [1,2] examined the potential of installing
a new common roof turbine ventilator onto an existing
bathroom ventilation system serving 14 bathrooms, and
assessed its overall ventilation performance. The experi-
mental results demonstrate that the combination of the roof
turbine ventilator and bathroom ventilation successfully
achieved adequate air change rate in bathrooms. Therefore,
this ventilation design alternative is a promising means of
improving the indoor air environment in bathrooms. Two
main driving forces enable the bathroom airflow to be
exhausted through the ventilation shaft: the partial negative
pressure built up in the turbine ventilator at the down-stream
end of the ventilation shaft and the ventilation airflow at the
up-stream end induced by the exhaust fan installed in the
bathroom ceiling. Wind power is employed to activate the
turbine ventilators, saving energy that would otherwise be
consumed by electric ceiling fans in the bathroom. The data
gathered in those investigations on how a turbine ventilator

0378-7788/$ – see front matter # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2005.06.004
 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180
affects the ventilation rate can provide a valuable reference
for future ventilation design.
1.3. National policy on exploiting the renewable energy
in Taiwan
National policy on renewable energy in Taiwan has been
discussed in various programs and policies, including the
National Conference for Energy, R&D Planning for New
Energy and Clean Energy, Program of Renewable Energy
Development, Challenge 2008: National Key Development
Plan and the Act of Renewable Energy Development. Thus,
perspectives on exploiting renewable energy at the national
level are well developed. The above policies and promotion
programs indicate that the Taiwanese government envisages a
development strategy, investing in the renewable energy
system, particularly in wind power, solar thermal energy and
photovoltaic (PV) energy. Hopefully, the benefit of renewable
energy can be measured by the increase in installation of such
systems.
1.4. Complementary operation of renewable energies
Renewable energy takes different forms, whose applica-
tion potential is restricted by local natural resources. If each
category is individually operated, then the single benefit
presented impedes the development of renewable energy. On
the contrary, selecting the appropriate category of renewable
energy in accordance with the local natural environment
complements other energy sources can increase the quality
of the electricity supply. For instance, electricity generation
by wind and solar energy are, respectively, constrained by
the levels of wind and sunlight. Industries alongside the
coast in Taiwan could apply the ‘‘hybrid wind and solar’’
concept, combining wind and solar power to achieve an
optimum electricity generation. As another example,
autumn and winter are the peak seasons for wind energy
in Taiwan, while spring and summer are the low period. This
seasonal variation complements that of small-scale water
power, which has abundant water flow during spring and
summer, but short levels during autumn and winter. In
combination, they form a ‘‘complementary operation of
wind and water energy’’. Therefore, the key application
strategy for exploiting renewable energy is the concept of
‘‘multi-category operated in complement’’. The maximum
benefit of natural resources can be obtained by measures,
such as adapting to local conditions, complementing of
multiple energy sources and using integrated applications.
1.5. Theme of study: combination of rooftop turbine
ventilator and hybrid renewable energy
Our previous work evaluated the performance rooftop
turbine ventilators. The investigations [1,2] offered the
following suggestions to improve the ventilators: (1)
improving the design of the rooftop ventilator commonly
175
used in Taiwan, (2) making the ‘‘push–pull’’ airflow model in
the ventilation duct effective for bathroom ventilation and (3)
reducing energy consumption. To lower the energy con-
sumption, this study proposes to combine the energy demands
of the ventilator and the energy supply of renewable energy.
The design concept in this study is aimed at increasing the
operation and energy efficiency of the rooftop turbine
ventilator and then developing a prototype of the rooftop
turbine ventilator powered by hybrid renewable energy (wind
and PV energy). As for the building ventilation issues,
hopefully the natural resource characteristics of wind and
solar energy in Taiwan can be well utilized with high outdoor
wind speed and short sunlight, fast wind-powered ventilator
rotation can generate the partial negative pressure in the
turbine ventilator at the down-stream end of the ventilation
shaft, and then induce the airflow in the ventilation duct.
Conversely, with low outdoor wind speed and full sunlight, the
ventilation airflow at the down-stream end can be attained by
the inner fan powered by the PV system.
2. Prototype development
2.1. Design concept
Previous investigations [1,2] confirmed that the installa-
tion of roof turbine ventilators successfully achieved the
required ventilation level. Considering this finding, this
study aimed to enhance the ventilation efficiency using
renewable energy, without consuming additional electricity.
Therefore, without altering the ventilator’s main structure of
the ventilator, a 16 in. diameter inner fan was installed in the
neck of a 20 in. diameter ventilator, replacing the existing
inner vane (the previous works has showed that a turbine
ventilator exhausts better with inner vanes than without
them, however, the difference between the two is not
significant). This dc inner fan’s electricity demand was met
by PV panels. Fig. 1 illustrates this rooftop turbine ventilator
powered by hybrid wind and PV. During the design process,
the rotation end and the PV end were considered separately.
(1) Rotation end incorporates the rooftop turbine ventilator
and the inner fan.
(2) PV end (energy supply end) incorporates the PV panels,
wirings, batteries and control panel to provide the power
for the inner fan operation. These electrical elements
were designed to meet the inner fan’s power require-
ment, operating at the optimum rotational speed
proposed by the test result of the low-speed wind tunnel.
2.2. Key component: the optimum rotational speed of
the inner fan
During development of the design concept, the installed
inner fan was considered to benefit the overall ventilation
176 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180

Fig. 1. Illustrative diagram of the roof turbine ventilator proposed in this study.

intuitively. However, the ventilation rate induced by the 3. Research method

turbine ventilator actuated by the outdoor wind might not be
compatible or even contended to the airflow blew by the
inner fan, and an optimum rotational speed might not exist
within the conventional outdoor wind speed. This study
attempted to clarify these concerns using the low-speed wind
tunnel tests together with the inner fan with variable
rotational speed. Consequently, this prototype was initiated
on the rotational end defined in previous Section 2.1. The PV
end was specified in detail after deriving the optimum
rotational speed (thus, rated current and voltage).
Although this prototype has three future application
modes, these modes are different only in the inner fan’s
operation time, which is specified at the PVend. The different
application modes of PVend were specified using parameters,
such as the PV panels, control strategies and battery capacity.
To measure ventilation efficiency and its technical aspect,
only the rotation end needs to be considered. The dual-loop
experimental procedure of the low-speed wind tunnel test is
depicted in Fig. 2. Initially, the inner fan was switched off.

Fig. 2. Experimental procedure of the low-speed wind tunnel test.

 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180
When the outdoor wind speed reached the first stable stage
(stable wind speed and ventilator rotation), the inner fan was
turned on to its first stage, and measurements were performed
after the inner fan’s rotation was stable. The same
measurement processes were undertaken, consequently when
the inner fan reached each stable stage. After completing the
final measurement at maximum inner fan rotation speed, the
inner fan was switched off again. Then, the outdoor wind
speed was increased to reach each stable stage, when
measurements were conducted, respectively. Investigated
parameters included flow structures, induced ventilation rate,
pressure difference and operation technique.
Assisted by the Aeronautical & Astronautic Research
Center of National Cheng Kung University, a low-speed
wind tunnel experiment was performed using a TESTO
445 Multi-functional ventilation/air-conditioning detector
equipped with two sensing connectors to detect various
environmental factors, such as wind speed, temperature and
humidity. The data were analyzed with an RS 232
transmitting line and the professional analyzing software
ComSoft 3 (Testo 0554 0830) on the Windows platform.
4. Results and discussion
The outdoor wind speed in the low-speed wind tunnel
was set to 0, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 m/s at each stage. In
each stage of the outdoor wind speed, the input power of the
inner fan was adjusted so that five rotational speeds of the
inner fan were achieved. They were 0 opening (turned off),
1/4 open (750 rpm; electricity consumption of 6 W), 1/2
open (1247 rpm; electricity consumption of 10 W), 3/4
opening (1495 rpm; electricity consumption of 20 W) and
fully open (1594 rpm; electricity consumption of 30 W).
The standard SI unit (m3/s) would yield ridiculously low
readings, so the ventilation rates were measured in the more
workable unit CMH (m3/h).
Fig. 3. Induced ventilation rate of different inner fan’s rotation speed, when the outdoor air velocity approached 5 m/s.
177
4.1. Advantage of installing the inner fan, when outdoor
wind speed is low (
7.5 m/s)
When the outdoor wind speed approached 5 m/s, the
ventilation rate increased gradually with the inner fan’s
rotational speed, as shown in Fig. 3. However, the increasing
trend of ventilation rate was not linear, but instead slowed as
the rotational speed increased. In other words, the ventilation
rate does not strongly improve if the inner fan’s rotational
speed highly increases (the electricity consumption also
increases accordingly).
When the outdoor wind speed reached 7.5 m/s, the
ventilation rate enhancement induced by the inner fan was
not as significant as it was when the outdoor wind speed was
lower, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Restated, the advantage of
installing the inner fan gradually deceased with rising
outdoor wind speed.
4.2. Advantage of installing the inner fan at a high
outdoor wind speed (10 m/s)
According to Fig. 5, the inner fan did not improve the
ventilation rate at all if the outdoor wind speed was higher
than 10 m/s, since the ventilation mechanism of the turbine
ventilator was absolutely dominated by the outdoor
airflow.
4.3. Specification of the inner fan
To understand the benefit of increasing the inner fan’s
speed, ‘‘inner fan enhancement (CMH/rpm)’’ was defined as
the level of ventilation rate enhancement for each increment
of inner fan rotational rate. Fig. 6 reveals that installing the
inner fan is beneficial at a low outdoor wind speed (0 and
5 m/s). The inner fan enhancements at those speeds were
2.44 and 2 CMH/rpm, respectively. The ventilation rate did
not obviously improve by installing the inner fan at a high
178 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180

Fig. 4. Induced ventilation rates, when the outdoor air velocity approached 0, 5 and 7.5 m/s, respectively.

outdoor wind speed. Moreover, when the outdoor wind
speed was 15 or 20 m/s, the evaluation indicator (inner fan
enhancement) was negative, meaning that raising the inner
fan rotation could reduce the ventilation function.
The height of metropolitan buildings, where ventilation
needs to be strengthened, is typically within the atmospheric
boundary layer. The wind speed at the top floor, where
turbine ventilators are generally installed, is medium or low.
Accordingly, installing the inner fan will improve the overall
ventilation efficiency. Considering that ‘‘the ventilation rate
does not strongly improve if the inner fan’s rotational speed
highly increases’’ as stated previously in Section 4.1, the
inner fan should be installed at a rated rotational speed close
to 1500 rpm. This conclusion could be the reference for the
selection of the driving end (PV system) in the next
paragraph.
5. PV end design
After the effect of installing the inner fan and its optimum
rotational speed were identified, the product could be
selected among existing marketable fans, considering
economic factors. The chosen equipment was required to
be suitable for the ventilator structure, easy to use and
maintain and compatible with the electricity supply of PV
panels. Therefore, the cost can be reduced, and the reliability
and price potential increase in the future promotion.
Since most applications of turbine ventilator in Taiwan
concentrate on the building ventilation and industrial
ventilation, the commonly used locations (residential bath-
room and factory roof) and operation schedules in those two
places were considered. Table 1 describes the possible
utilization modes of the prototype in those two places.

Fig. 5. Induced ventilation rates, when the outdoor air velocity was higher than 10 m/s.
 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180 179

Fig. 6. Inner fan enhancement of different outdoor air velocity.

The bathroom ventilation prototype only has one
conventional usage mode, but the factory ventilation
prototype has several operational modes. This study
only concentrates on two factory ventilation modes in
providing the design recommendation for the PV end. Each
module’s PV end could be manufactured as a ‘‘plug-in’’
type to allow convenient selection and installation while
in product promotion. Mode B of Table 1 is calculated
below to elaborate on the specification of needed
electricity system. The same method can be conducted
to estimate other modes. Table 1 demonstrates the overall
result.

Table 1
Design parameters of the prototype’s PV end for bathroom and factory ventilation
Mode Usage description Appropriate PV Charge Battery electricity characteristics Battery
installation controller specification
place
A The electricity is used Bathroom 29 W 1.2 A Battery, which can store electricity 3.88 Ah
immediately after and toilet at 24 V for 3 h use everyday at 24 V
generation during the day. (intermittent use)
Sufficient electricity must
be stored for intermittent
use during the night
B The electricity generated is Factory 75 W 3.2 A Theoretically, no battery need be One day:
immediately consumed during (8 h a day) at 24 V installed. However, to avoid changes 10.35 Ah
the day. No electricity generation in photovoltaic electric current and at 24 V
is required during the night then affect the function of the inner Two days:
fan, a low-capacity battery may be 20.7 Ah at
considered, allowing electricity 24 V
buffering and avoid affecting the Three days:
electricity quality. Also, considering 31.05 Ah
the possibility of no solar day, one to at 24 V
three days of battery capacity should
be planned
C The electricity generated is Factory 230 W 9.6 A The battery has can store 18 h One day:
immediately consumed during (24 h shift) at 24 V of capacity everyday. 31.05 Ah
the day, and some electricity Considering the possibility of at 24 V
must be stored for long periods no solar day, one to three days Two days:
of use during the night of battery capacity should 62.10 Ah
be planned at 24 V
Three days:
93.15 Ah
at 24 V
180 C.-M. Lai / Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 174–180
(1) Conditions and requirements of the electricity system
(a) Type of power generation: stand-alone electricity
system.
(b) Usage: meets the demand of the inner fan in the
prototype for Mode B.
(c) Load voltage: depends on the recommended fan
specification after the low-speed wind tunnel test.
(d) Electricity consumption
(i) Assume that the rated rotary speed is 1500 rpm,
with one 20 W fan and 25% voltage transfor-
mation loss:
20 W  8 h  1  1:25 ¼ 200 W=ðh dayÞ
(ii) Assume 5% circuit loss
The total consumption of electricity of
above item is:
200  1:05 ¼ 210 W=ðh dayÞ
(e) Capacity of battery: 1–3 days
(f) Solar radiation: based on the weather data of the
meteorological observation station in Tainan City,
Taiwan from November 2000 to December 2001.
The following calculation is based on the lowest
recorded value, 364 MJ/m2 (December 2001).
(2) System
This is a stand-alone independent electricity gen-
eration system, including the PV panels, lightning
arrester, charge controller, batteries, dc/ac inverter, ac
load panel and other accessories.
(3) Equipment description, taking Mode B as the illustrative
example:
(a) PV panels
Based on the electricity consumption, the PV
panel has to generate more than 210 W/(h day). This
is a stand-alone electricity system, and the power
generation was estimated in accordance with the
lowest solar radiation on December 2001 (364 MJ/
m2). The electricity power of the PV must be at
least:
210 W=ðh dayÞ  30 day  3:6=364 MJ=m2
¼ 62:3 W
Considering the safety margin of 1.2, the PV panel
for this system should be:
62:3 W  1:2 ¼ 74:76 W
(b) Charge controller
Assume that the charge controller is 1000 W/m2
and 25 8C.
Then 74.76/24 = 3.115 A (24 V)
The charge controller of the total control
capacity 3.2 A (24 V) was chosen. The controller
should have temperature compensation, and protec-
tion against over-charging, over-releasing and
reverse charging.
(c) Battery
The electricity capacity required for 1–3 days
consecutive without solar radiation and using an
85% deep-cycling battery was given by:
1 day  210 W=ðh dayÞ ¼ 210 W=h
¼ 8:8 Ah at 24V
8:8 Ah at 24V=85% ¼ 10:35 Ah at 24V
Thus, the battery capacity for one day of use is 10.35
(Ah at 24 V), for two days’ use is 20.7 (Ah at 24 V),
and for three days’ use is 31.05 (Ah at 24 V).
(d) Lightning arrester (surge arrester)
The arrester is required to prevent surges of over
250 V at 60 KA.
(e) dc/ac inverter (depending on the fan selected)
The start-up power should be at least twice the
power consumed. Considering the long-term stabi-
lity operation of the system, at least one inverter
should therefore be used.
6. Conclusions
A low-speed wind tunnel experiment was performed with
a variety of tests on the prototype proposed in this study. The
experimental results indicate installing an inner fan at low
outdoor wind speed (0 and 5 m/s) increases the ventilation
rate, the ventilation rate enhancement per inner fan
rotational rate increment was found to be 2.44 and
2 CMH/rpm, respectively. The ventilation rate was not
improved by installing an inner fan at a high outdoor wind
speed. Installation of the inner fan with the rated rotation
speed close to 1500 rpm is highly recommended by this
study. The widespread application of turbine ventilators in
Taiwan focuses on the building ventilation and industrial
ventilation. The commonly used locations (residential
bathroom and factory) and operation schedule in those
two places were addressed, and the prototype’s utilization
modes at those two places are described in this study.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the National Science
Council of the Republic of China, Taiwan for financially
supporting this research under Contract No. NSC92-2211-E-
426-005.
Reference
[1] C.M. Lai, Experiments on the ventilation efficiency of turbine ventilator
used for building and factory ventilation, Energy and Buildings 35 (9)
(2003) 927–932.
[2] I.S. Kuo, C.M. Lai, Assessment of the potential of roof turbine
ventilators for bathroom ventilation, Building Services Engineering
Research and Technology 26 (2) (2005) 173–179.