URBAVENTO · An innovative, small footprint, vertical axis wind turbine for decentralized energy-production designed for urban areas, which is cheap to maintain and ensures energy production even at low wind speed

Customers using traditional horizontal axis wind turbines are facing several problems, such as: noise, unaesthetic appearance so they need to be installed in remote locations. As a result, the power is generated very far from where it is meant to be consumed, causing an energy loss of 20% during the transfer (line-losses); they also need strong winds to function and are expensive to install and maintain. Newenergy21 has designed and developed UrbaVento, an innovative vertical axis wind turbine for decentralized energy-production (smart grid applications as well as off-grid), which features carbon-fibre “wings”, as well as a smart control and fault diagnostic software that simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting and tracks performance and savings. The UrbaVento is a big leap forward compared to current wind turbines due to its unique advantages, which are firstly: its compatibility with the urban environment, since it features silent energy production at low wind speeds, starting from less than 3m/s, while it can produce up to 10 MWh of electricity per year when operating between 7 and 10m/s; it is suited for distributed power production because it can be installed anywhere due to its compact size and attractive appearance. Secondly, it offers a higher return on investment since it is cheaper to install, operate and maintain, due to its low number of moving parts, the absence of a gearbox and the location of all serviceable components are at ground level, enabling the turbine to seamlessly reach its envisaged life-cycle; Thirdly, its wings can be used as a reflective screen, making it an attractive medium for advertising.The Phase 1 project will be focused on establishing a complete supply chain, a sound business model and commercialization strategy, a planning of all activities for deploying a large scale pilot with 10 turbines installed in different locations, as well as the elaboration of an industrialization and marketing plan.