If you think back to the time when solar energy was slowly becoming known, nobody would have thought that it would one day become affordable and so significant in our local power supply – given our country’s loadshedding crisis. Today, the same thing is happening with small wind power.
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As always, with the integration of any innovative solution, it’s simply a matter of timing and location. Home to the Cape Doctor (the strong, often persistent and dry south-easterly wind that howls from spring to late summer), it can be argued that Cape Town is predestined for making small wind turbines acceptable in urban areas.
After all, in the field of renewable energies, small wind turbines also generate reliable electricity at ground level – in addition to solar systems.
As part of a pilot project, four LS Double Helix small turbines were installed at the popular V&A Waterfront by LuvSide GmbH – both to pioneer the establishment of the German manufacturer’s technically mature wind power solutions in SA and to illustrate how aesthetically pleasing the sustainable and reliable energy alternative can be.
The pilot project, which was inaugurated on Thursday, 23 May, forms part of the Renewable Energy Solutions (RES) Programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action’s German Energy Solutions initiative.
For successful marketing and production, LuvSide GmbH, together with Energy South Africa, founded LuvSide South Africa Ltd, which promises to redefine the South African business world in the field of small wind turbines, bring new perspectives to the Cape and create qualified jobs.
Turn every kilowatt into green energy:
LuvSide GmbH explains that the rationale behind the installation is this: If solar and energy storage systems are supplemented with small wind turbines, they also produce electricity at night or on days with weak sunlight in windy areas. In this way, wind turbines help to ensure that batteries can be charged around the clock – given the right wind conditions.
‘We are convinced that South Africa is ready for growth in the alternative energy sector in the form of small wind turbines,’ says CEO of Energy South Africa Rodney Love.
Stylishly sustainable:
Situated in the urban landscape of the V&A’s Silo District, the white and blue vertical small wind turbines imported from Germany not only offer a visual spectacle for passersby but also offer a seamless integration given its environmentally friendly and low-noise way of compensating for power outages.
The four installed LS Double Helix 1.0 turbines are expected to provide an energy yield of several thousand kWh per year, depending on the wind power. As its location demonstrates, the vertical small turbines can fit perfectly into an urban environment.
‘The turbines look like a piece of art or sculpture and therefore it fits very, very well into the waterfront,’ says German Consul General of Cape Town Tanja Werheit.
The four turbines will run for the next 12 months to assess their viability as an addition to the V&A’s energy supply.
Also read:
Here’s what you can do in Cape Town when the wind is howling
Picture: Supplied
