World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

November 23, 2003 – Vol.8 No.35

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Here’s a new small scale wind turbine manufacturer - Windsave Ltd.

The Scottish company has developed a turbine designed for individual homes that will start up in wind speeds as low as three miles per hour. Two models now available, but no mention of how to get one in company’s website. One model has a 1-meter rotor with a maximum output of 750 watts in 20 mile per hour breezes. The other has a 1.5 meter rotor with a maximum capacity of 1 kilowatt.

The price? Reuter’s reports that $1284 (GBP 750) will get you a Windsave turbine.

The company claims the high output for the small-sized turbine can be attributed to its unique slow-turning electric generator. The turbine can be connected to a home via a standard plug socket, which would be 240 volt in Scotland.

The company has lofty plans to sell a million units - eventually - but that it expects sales of 12,000 in its first year. Visit Windsave at http://www.windsave.com/ .

Irish mining company Ovoca is planning to diversify into the wind energy business because of a slow down in its core business - zinc.

The company has partnered with Mercury Engineering to investigate ways of storing wind generated electricity at off-peak times to sell during peak periods.

Well, investigation done. Or it should be.

The company should contact Metallic Power, Evionyx, Arotech, Powerzinc or Zoxy Energy Systems to discuss how they store energy in zinc used in their zinc-air fuel cells. Most well-known battery manufacturers, too, have zinc-air products.

Zinc-air fuel cells and batteries are known for their long run times. Zinc can be easily recycled. And it is the recycling process, which deoxidizes the zinc, that actually reenergizes a zinc-air fuel cell. Wind generated electricity would be used as energy source in that process.

Visit Mercury Engineering at http://www.mercuryplc.com/ , Metallic Power at http://www.metallicpower.com/ , Evionyx at http://www.evonyx.com/ , Arotech at http://www.arotech.com/ , Powerzinc Electric at http://www.powerzinc.com/ or Zoxy Energy Systems at http://www.zoxy.de/ .

NEG-Micon will be the supplier of wind turbines for the Kentish Flats off-shore project in the U.K. The company has entered into an agreement with Danish utility Elsam to supply 30 NM92/2750 2.75 megawatt turbines for the project.

Kentish Flats is expected to be complete in 2005. Visit NEG-Micon at http://www.neg-micon.com/