February - March 2008
architect designed energy elegance
A first for windmills on buildings
By Alvin Koo
Windy?
You think Hawaii is windy?
Yes, plenty enough for us to make more electricity with our wind.
Granted we are small, but we produce only 63mW’s of wind power, compared to 3,352 mW in Texas. It’s terrible. The good news is that we are far from the bottom of the heap. Several states produce zero wind power in the electrical grid and several more produce only 1 mW.
One
of the problems is that nobody wants a huge wind farm in their backyard.
Not those huge, slow-turning blades you see in California.
One solution is AeroVironment, Inc.
This high tech company (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a fascinating combination of leading edge and practicality.
It is the leader in unmanned aircraft systems, UAV, for the US Department of Defense in airborne reconnaissance and target acquisition. They created the Gossamer Condor, the first aircraft powered by human muscle, and the Solar Challenger, the first solar powered manned aircraft. They developed the record setting Helios, which flew a world record 96,000 feet above Kaua‘i.
They designed the solar powered GM Sunraycer and helped General Motors design and test the world’s first practical electrical car, the GM Impact. Their award winning PosiCharge fast battery charge systems deliver short, precise high-power charges to electric fork lifts and airport tugs while vehicles are on breaks or shift changes.
Now, AVAV is turning towards the urban wind energy market.
They began their research in 1977 looking at large-scale, utility-type wind systems. They’ve worked with Southern California Edison, the Alaska Power Administration and the US Department of Energy Wind Characterization program.
They also consulted in technical areas for banks considering wind energy investments. These included Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and the Danish Investment Foundation.
In September 2007, they installed their first set of 12 of the Architectural Wind system, a horizontal axis wind turbine with a sleek, aesthetic canopy that makes it look slightly Orwellian and futuristic.
The system takes advantage of the ‘chimney’ effect of wind accelerating past the leading edges of a building’s roof. The aesthetic hood sits about six feet above the roofline.
The machine is only 130 pounds and produces a maximum of 1000 W. It works in winds from 5 to 120 miles per hour.
The company calls it the first and only small wind turbine to take advantage of a building’s aerodynamic properties to generate power. A 15 percent increase in wind speed at the edge of a building can produce 50 percent more power.
It’s probably the only windmill that has ever won a design award.
The company won a prestigious Red Dot International Design award and another from the International Design Magazine.
The machine was designed with Designworks USA, a consultancy group owned by BMW Group.
In Hawaii, Craig Thoburn, regional sales manager, located on Maui, has signed four first clients.
