Wind energy

Small wind turbines are defined as those which produce up to 100 kilowatts of energy per hour, and the fact that a summit was recently held in their name goes some way to highlight their future importance. But the path towards integrating them into the popular mindset is not without hurdles.

The first ever small-wind-turbine summit was held in the northern German town of Husum and attracted some fifty exhibitors, the vast majority of which are new start-up companies navigating the uncharted waters of a sector still very much in its infancy.

Among those to attend was Adrian Maerklin, CEO of the Swiss company Envergate, which came into existence nine months ago after three years in development.

"Envergate was founded to get into the market with our new vertical-axis turbine," Maerklin told Deutsche Welle. "We guess our product is - in terms of quality – ahead of other competitors in the vertical-turbine market."

Unique energy harvesting system

Although not yet a market leader, Envergate's turbines have the technical edge over their competitors because of a unique pitching system which can reap the energy generated by individual gusts of wind.

The aerodynamic know-how behind this innovation comes from a background in piloting show planes, something the four founders of Envergate have in common. And Maerklin says it was the aerodynamic connection that inspired them to get involved with wind turbines.

"Once you understand what a propeller means on the nose of your aircraft doing acrobatics, you understand what it means loosing power on a blade," he said.

Like its British competitor and current market leader "Quiet Revolution", Envergate's turbines are vertical. Compact, elegant and almost inaudible, they have obvious advantages, particularly when intended for installation in an urban or domestic context.

Small turbines, big interest

Paul Kuhn of the Frauenhofer Institute for Wind Technology told Deutsche Welle there is a marked interest in the small turbine sector at the moment, most notably in the US, Britain and China.

"The enquiries we receive are from people who want to become independent of the utility companies," he said. "They see prices are going up and they want to produce their own electricity."

But installing a small wind turbine is not altogether straightforward, and there are many factors to be taken into consideration. The first is wind. In areas where the average wind speed is under 14 kilometers per hour (9 miles and hour), Kuhn says the investment isn't worth it. And that rules out most urban areas.

A solution to that problem could be to build higher turbines, but that would require planning permission, which as Thomas Drabik of the German energy giant RWE explains, is not granted on a whim.

"You have different regulations in different parts of the country," he told Deutsche Welle. "It depends where you are, what kind of turbine you want to install, what kind of site you have."

Overcoming the hurdles

As things stand, 16 percent of energy in Germany is generated from renewable sources, and the German Wind Association predicts that by 2020, every second hour of electricity will come from a sustainable source. And 25 to 30 percent of that will come from wind power.

The contribution of small wind turbines to this growth will depend on many things, including the introduction of centrally standardized planning permission, and the cutting down of certification costs.

At the moment, only a handful of small-wind-turbine designs have official German certification, principally because of the high costs involved. Experts fear that unless that changes, the growth of the sector will be prematurely stunted.

What's clear is that the German wind sector is not lacking in technical innovation, entrepreneurial spirit or public support. But until there is a shift in political thinking, it is likely to remain a niche market, a cumbersome testing ground for projects designed to be implemented elsewhere.

Author: Kate Laycock (tkw)
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn