A radical new design in wind turbines – the AeroCam from BroadStar Wind Systems – will make its European debut in London at one of the largest renewable energy conferences ever held in the UK.
BroadStar, an engineering and technology firm specialising in wind power generation, is exhibiting a full–size version of its new AeroCam at the BWEA30 event (www.bwea30.com), which is being staged at the ExCeL Centre in London´s docklands from 21 to 23 October.
BroadStar only recently made its first public appearance in the US, where the launch of its AeroCam followed four years of research and development, and the issue of patents earlier this year.
Keen interest in the commercial–scale turbine has already been expressed by 27 leading US corporations eager to reduce their soaring energy costs. BroadStar aims to draw similar attention in Europe, where it is recruiting key personnel and pursuing its first beta test sites with interested customers.
And following recent government initiatives for the UK to become a world–leader in green technologies, the company is also looking into the possibility of a UK research and development facility.
The innovative AeroCam turbine uses horizontal blades arranged in a rotating cylindrical structure, which can be placed on buildings or to infill existing wind farms. With its parallel rotor blades giving it the appearance of a water wheel, not only does it look radically different from traditional windmill–like designs, but it is also more aerodynamically–efficient, smaller and more compact. This means it can be manufactured, transported, installed and maintained at lower cost.
Currently there are very few commercial–scale turbines in the 100kW to 500kW class served by the AeroCam. Traditional propeller designs need to be manufactured at the largest possible size for aerodynamic efficiency. This means producing 1.5MW turbines and upwards, which increases their cost and limits their application to remote areas.
"Our field trials and wind tunnel tests confirm that our new design has a higher power density than conventional wind turbines and the blades can be smaller without compromising aerodynamic efficiency," says Stephen Else, president of BroadStar Wind Systems. "It can also harness its power in many more locations and generate energy close to where it´s actually required."
The main technical innovation in the AeroCam design is its ability to continually adjust the pitch of its rotor blades to an optimum angle as the turbine rotates. This unique "˜active pitch control´ capability helps optimise its aerodynamic performance for much the same reasons a bird changes the shape of its wing in flight.
The result is a wind turbine that can handle a wide range of wind velocities, anywhere between 4 and 80mph (6–130km/h). It also generates its power at lower rotational speed, so there is less noise and vibration, hence less wear and tear. The AeroCam has a very low start–up speed, requiring a wind velocity of just 4mph (6km/h). And it starts generating power at an unprecedented 5mph (8km/h), which is a much lower wind speed than traditional wind turbines.
"This is a new and exciting breakthrough in wind energy technology with huge potential to reduce soaring energy costs," says Else. "The London event provides a great opportunity for our European debut, where we can discuss the unique benefits of the AeroCam with industry experts and distributors and a variety of potential customers, including architects, wind farmers, urban developers, commercial companies and government bodies."
"The AeroCam has the potential to equip almost every local community, business and government building with its own source of renewable energy and it can also supplement conventional turbines in existing wind farms, significantly increasing the output of electricity."
Note to editors
Stephen Else, president, BroadStar Wind Systems, Tom Stephens, vice president research & design, and Mark Bergee chief technology officer and chief aerodynamicist will be available for interview throughout the show; please contact Rob Palmer on +44 7768 242761. Images of the AeroCam are available to download from www.broadstarwindsystems.com/news_media.php
About BroadStar Wind Systems
Founded in 2004 by Stephen Else and Tom Stephens, BroadStar Wind Systems, with offices in Dallas, Beijing and Chertsey, England, is an engineering and technology firm, comprised of experts in aerodynamics and turbine physics, which has developed its breakthrough technology solution for the efficient and affordable generation of wind power. With its scientifically proven and aerodynamically efficient AeroCam turbine, BroadStar makes wind–power generation more accessible and affordable, and delivers a measurable return on investment more quickly than competitive solutions. For additional information, visit www.broadstarwindsystems.com.
About BWEA30
BWEA is the UK´s leading renewable energy business organisation, now in its 30th year. It will be hosting its annual conference and exhibition at the ExCeL Centre in London´s docklands from 21–23 October. For further information and to register for a press pass visit http://www.bwea30.com.
