Advances in urban wind resource development and wind energy harvesters

While large wind farms can currently reduce global energy consumption to a certain extent, meeting electricity demand and addressing global climate change remain formidable issues. Urban wind resource development has gained momentum and offers a promising way to address these issues. The key elements related to urban wind resource development are summarized in detail in this study, which include the urban wind environment, airflow characteristics around buildings, wind resource assessment, urban wind turbines and new wind energy harvesters. The review shows that the urban boundary layer is characteristically stratified in terms of wind speed and airflow in the vertical direction. It is advantageous for wind turbine performance to make full use of the airflow characteristics around buildings. The best method for wind resource assessment is a comprehensive assessment that combines multiple methods based on different conditions. Further studies show that vertical axis wind turbines are generally more suitable for urban environments than horizontal axis wind turbines. The opportunities for urban wind turbine innovation are provided by specific coupling mechanisms of wind energy harvesters. On this basis, this study proposes that low urban wind speeds and high turbulence intensity are the main challenges hindering the development of urban wind energy. Further research on urban wind resource assessment techniques and wind energy harvester innovations are essential to improve the efficiency of urban wind energy harvesting.