Published: 14 September 2010

Urban turbine for Australia

Wendy Pyper

A US-designed wind turbine will soon be available for use in urban and suburban Australia, thanks to a partnership between Nevada-based Windspire Energy™ and Australian-based AllSafe® Energy Efficient Products.

The 9.1 m tall, 1.2 m wide Windspire turbine operates silently, due to a unique propeller-free, vertical-axis design, and can generate about 2000 kilowatt hours a year. The turbine works best in average wind speeds of 18 km/h. Energy generation can be tracked in real time and surplus power can be sold back into the grid.

‘Windspire operates with three sets of tall, narrow airfoils that catch the wind, while spinning around a vertical axis,’ says AllSafe Director, Mark Hawley.

‘As the rotor turns, a generator converts the energy into electricity, and a grid-tie inverter converts the electricity from a direct current to an alternating current.’

The turbine is currently used by businesses, residences, schools, parks and museums in 18 countries and should enter the Australian market later this year. It is expected to retail at a price comparable to similar output solar photovoltaic systems.

The Windspire-AllSafe partners are now working to certify the turbine for the Australian market, making it eligible for Renewable Energy Certificates.

The Windspire turbine. Credit: Windspire Energy