Urban wind turbines face an up-hill battle, as many people feel they are too big, too expensive, and potential eyesores. However McCamley just unveiled a prototype for a new vertical-axis turbine with a revolutionary design that allows it to overcome many of the issues associated with large horizontal-axis turbines. The company just installed its first prototype of the McCamley MT01 Mk2 in the UK at Keele University.
The new vertical-axis turbine has been installed at Keele University Science and Business Park by McCamley UK Ltd as part of a plan to transform how cities generate renewable energy. Whereas most turbines rely on a steady wind speed, McCamley’s vertical-axis turbine can cope with stronger, more turbulent gusts that are often found in urban environments. Also, whereas standard turbines draw power from the electrical grid to restart themselves whenever the wind drops below a certain level, the McCamley turbine is a self-starting wind turbine.
It is also easy to build as it is produced using ‘flat-pack’ storable parts and can be easily retrofitted and installed onto a roof without a supporting mast. The turbine is also effective on farms and related rural areas.
Dr Scott Elliott, CEO of McCamley UK Ltd said of the revolutionary turbine: “We’re pleased to be bringing our prototype to the UK for the first time. Wind energy has huge potential in the UK, but the traditional wind farm models are just not effective and are certainly not suitable for urban environments. This leaves a huge gap in the market where businesses, residential blocks and other organisations could be benefiting from clean energy. We believe that this design has the potential to be the new face of wind energy and is completely scalable, from 12kW designs to larger megawatt designs.”
“Our location at Keele University Business and Science Park has led to a real partnership where we’ve been able to utilise academic interest in the area to turn our expertise into commercial reality. We are really looking forward to working towards our microgeneration certification over the coming months and realising the potential of the prototype.”
+ McCamley
+ Keele University
Via Gizmodo
Images by McCamley
