Even if there is only a gentle breeze, they should supply electricity!
Using the free power of the wind is a hot topic: for some, it is perhaps the most promising of the renewable energy sources. For others, the ugly giant wind turbines spoil nature, and the ground has to be sealed with concrete. And then there is often a calm wind and they stand still…
An award-winning “wind panel” from a Polish start-up from Opole (Oppeln) might help: the innovative construction is intended to make wind energy affordable, simpler and more efficient. And solve the problems associated with solar panels and traditional wind turbines.
Most importantly, they would be urban: narrow vertical wind turbine(ch)s placed side by side in a compact frame that can then be installed as part of a fence or as such freestanding.
According to the start-up panel Wiatrowy, the system efficiently generates electricity from the weak onshore winds prevailing in Europe. Accordingly, the panels generate electricity even when the wind blows at only one meter per second.
Small but powerful
As a fencing of an area of 1000 square meters – for example a property or on the roof of a building – the panels might generate 40 kW; The company advertises that they might reach a capacity of 200 kW per kilometer along a stretch of motorway. A commercial customer who uses it to fence off an area of one hectare might generate up to 400 kW of electricity.
“The wind panel is designed in such a way that it has absolutely no disadvantages,” PW project manager Tomasz Gruszka claimed in 2020 to the news platform Emerging Europe, two years following initial development.
According to Notes from Poland, the device has just won second place in a competition for clean energy solutions organized by Bank ING Polska, with prize money of 300,000 zlotys (regarding 62,700 euros).
Quiet and durable
“Wind panels are quiet, extremely durable and resilient to harsh weather conditions, they don’t spoil landscapes, they look aesthetic, they’re safe for birds and people, they’re quick and easy to set up, and they’re highly scalable.”
The system can be integrated into solar systems and thus generate additional energy when they cannot – i.e. at night and in cloudy weather.
Nothing more is known regarding the price so far. But according to PW, the panels impress with their longevity with an estimated service life of 50 years, which means that the initial investment is amortized following three to four years.
Once the product is commercially available, Wind Panel hopes to produce panels in different sizes for all possible needs.
Poland urgently needs alternative power generation
First you want to win industrial customers. Assuming financial help, the product should eventually go into mass production.
Poland itself would help: not only because more than 70 percent of electricity is still generated from coal (highest value in the EU), which is why a reorganization of the Polish energy sector is necessary for reasons of climate protection.
Also, out of the 50 most polluted cities in Europe, 33 are in Poland…
