Renewable Energy Products – Micro Wind Power Generation
Domestic Wind Power Generation – WindTronics
Wind flowing at a certain speed has significant energy that can be harnessed and utilised. Domestic wind turbines convert wind energy into mechanical energy using blades that are attached to a mechanical shaft. This wind energy makes the shaft rotate, and when connected to a standard electric generator, electricity is produced.
WindTronics, the developer of the BTPS6500 Wind Turbine created the Blade Tip Power System (BTPS) to drastically reduce the mechanical resistance and weight of a turbine. The BTPS6500 is a gearless system that permits performance at wind levels well above and below a traditional turbine’s cut-in and cut-out wind speeds.
The WindTronics BTPS6500 was designed to operate in a much greater wind range, with a cut-in speed (start up) below 2mph and a shutdown speed of 42mph in Class 4 winds, which compares favourably to traditional turbines with a cut-in speeds of 7.5 and shutdown speeds between 25-30 mph. It is this ability to capture and convert a wider range of wind energy that has advanced the highest output, lowest installed cost per kWh technology in the industry.
The WindTronics BTPS6500 is a 2.2 KW turbine that creates 2752 kWh/yr in Class 4 winds.
More Information
For more details on the WindTronics BTPS6500 please download this factsheet. or please read this recent article from the Times, in which WindTronics managing director Andy Sowden discusses the challenges of harnessing wind power and how, with the right technology, it can play a pivotal role in generating future energy needs for home and business
How we measure wind energy
The electric energy harnessed from the wind depends on the wind speed, the size of the wind turbine, and the duration of the wind at a certain speed. Wind may be flowing as a gentle breeze one day, blowing hard another day, and on occasion reach dangerous levels (hurricanes or tornados). While the commonly used term “average wind speed” in a given location is useful for general comparisons of various regions, it does not lend much assistance in quantifying that total energy that can be harnessed from wind for a given wind turbine design.
An important point is to understand a wind turbine’s power and energy creation in terms of the wind we have and when we have it. For such quantification the standard measurement (KW plate power) must be evaluated in terms of kWh production (as per a utility bill) as opposed to strictly a KW rating.
The current plate power ratings scale (maximum output rationale KW Rating) is rooted in the assumption that the average wind speed occurs all the time, when actually it does not. For example, in a class 4 wind regime (normal UK wind value) the average wind speed is 12.95 mph. But this wind speed will only occur a percentage of the time. Wind is not a constant and cannot therefore be predicated by anyone, even by the UK Meteorological Office!
Wind has both power and energy. Wind power depends strongly on wind speed. The power increases eight times when the wind speed doubles. On the other hand, wind energy depends on the length of time the wind stays at a certain speed. Consider for example a section of a wind tunnel in which wind is flowing at 5 kilo Watts (kW) power. If this wind continues to flow steadily at this power for one half hour (h) then the energy in this wind is said to be 5 (kW) x 0.5 (h) or 2.5 kWh. Wind energy is a product of wind power and time.
