Generate your own electricity – from the wind http://www.hightech.fi/direct.aspx?area=htf&prm1=798&prm2=article

Generate your own electricity – from the wind
Print this article aa

Renewables, with wind very much at the forefront, are set to continue growing in importance. PEM-Energy has downsized wind turbines to make it easier for everyone to upsize their usage of green power.
PEM-Energy Oy
www.mypower.fi
Contact us

The wind is one of the most ecological ways to generate energy. There is a virtually infinite supply of wind, and wind power is completely free of greenhouse gas and other emission issues following construction and erection. Operating costs are also minimal.

The biggest challenge, however, lies in the difficulty of predicting wind speed and wind conditions. This means that output can vary significantly, from day to day or even hour to hour. As energy consumption and generation peaks do not necessarily occur simultaneously, energy storage is a necessity. For users of PEM-Energy’s solutions, surplus electricity can be stored in batteries, fed into the grid, or used to heat hot water.

PEM-Energy’s wind turbine solutions are designed for households, holiday homeowners, farmers, and small businesses that want to make their own green contribution to the energy economy. The company launched the MyPower brand at the end of 2007, and today’s range includes MyPower Home, MyPower Free Time, and MyPower Pro.

Maximising what the wind can offer

All of the MyPower packages are based around 2 kW turbines. Their rotor blades have a diameter of four metres, and units can be fitted on a freestanding 10-metre mast. Multiple units can be connected in series.

The design has been optimised to perform at even relatively low wind speeds. A turbine needs only 2-3 m/s of wind to begin generating power and will reach its nominal output at 8 m/s. Unlike most turbines, they will not cut out at higher speeds.

PEM-Energy’s MyPower wind turbines generate environmentally friendly electricity for small-scale use virtually anywhere.

Typical payback times for a MyPower unit are likely to be between four and seven years, depending on local electricity tariffs and how much conventional electricity can be replaced.

A family of products

Designed very much with simplicity and reliability in mind, a MyPower Home installation is capable of providing valuable additional heating for the home via an immersion heater and makes an ideal complement for an oil- or pellet-fired boiler.

MyPower Free Time is designed for locations not connected to the grid, such as holiday homes. Energy is stored in batteries, typically of the lead-acid type; and an installation can easily be connected to an existing DC system, such as one used with solar panels.

MyPower Pro generates AC electricity, which can be fed through a frequency converter into a building’s normal electrical system. Any surplus electricity can be fed onwards to the local grid. Unless a utility is willing to pay for this electricity, it makes sense to use it in its entirety at the location, which is why MyPower Pro is recommended for offices and similar uses.
> Mikael Seppälä
(Published in HighTech Finland 2009)