Isra-Mart srl:Researchers give thumbs up to vertical-axis wind offshore turbines

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-Mart srl news:

The company behind an innovative vertical-axis offshore wind turbine design that promises to slash the cost of wind energy is on the hunt for technical partners and investors, after a two-year research project concluded that the technology could provide a viable alternative to conventional turbines.

The £2.8m Nova project, a consortium incorporating a number of universities, engineering firms and the Energy Technologies Institute, examined a vertical-axis turbine design known as the Aerogenerator that has been developed by UK-based startup Wind Power Ltd.

It today published the results of its feasibility study, concluding that the design could provide a "credible" and potentially lower-cost alternative to traditional horizontal offshore turbines in some circumstances.

ETI chief executive, Dr David Clarke, counselled that it was still "early days" for the project, but expressed optimism that the design could reduce the cost of offshore wind energy by making turbines easier to access and maintain, and ensuring they can better exploit the high winds typically found in deep-water areas.

"The study looked at both fixed and floating structures and concluded that floating turbines could be placed in deep-water areas of more than 60 metres, which benefit from higher wind speeds," he said. "This would help to reduce the cost of electricity generated by wind power."

Speaking to BusinessGreen, Wind Power founder Theo Bird said that the company was now seeking technical partners to begin work on a 1MW prototype device and had received expressions of interest from sites around the world that want to host the world's first vertical-axis turbine.

He added that the company was in the process of appointing engineering giant Arup as project management engineer for the initiative and was aiming to get its first device in the water by 2015.

The company is also looking to raise funds for the project, although Bird said the firm had no intention of creating a "cathedral of cost" and currently estimates that it can complete the next phase of the project for around £30m. "It is not a lot given the huge scale of the opportunity," he said.