Sunair set to launch solar-wind hybrid power generator for rooftops
17 Feb 2012
Sunair Power Private Ltd is all set to launch its new vertical-shaft windmills suitable for installation on rooftops in the country. The new machine will be on display at Renewable Asia 2012 exhibition in Bangalore, the company said in a release.
According to Sunair, the twin-rotor vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are better than traditional propeller designs for light industrial, agricultural, commercial, municipal, and residential use.
The VAWT converts wind energy to electrical energy. The blade assembly makes the cage structure rotate. The direct-coupled permanent magnetic generator converts this movement to electrical energy.
The Bangalore-based company is offering solar-wind hybrid power systems that can generate about 8 units of green power a day, with 60 per cent coming from wind sources.
While the windmills are completely manufactured by the company, the solar panels are sourced from module manufacturers.
The 'micro hybrid power generator' consists of a 1.7-KW wind turbine and a 1.1-KW capacity solar module, an inverter and batteries for 230-V AC output, and costs about Rs4.5 lakh.
The system is not tied to the grid and is independent of the power supply from the grid.
The new vertical axis wind turbines can also be used on wind farms, the company said.
Sunair is in the process of applying for certification from the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (CWET) after which users will be eligible for subsidies of up to 90 per cent.
The concept of vertical shaft windmills hasn't been very successful because companies were looking to generating larger capacities.
However, for a country like India, which has more sunlight readily available than wind, the vertical shaft windmills are a better option.
Also, the vertical shaft machines rotate even at low wind speeds of 1.5 metres per second (m/sec) and generate power at 3 m/sec compared with conventional windmills that start spinning only at speeds of 3 m/sec.
These are also completely vibration- and noise-free and are also immune to the direction of wind flows.
