The Market Opportunity of the Small Wind Generators
ADDITION OF THE SMALL WIND GENERATORS TO THE EXISTING PHOTOVOLTAIC GENERATORS:
• On the market of “Small Wind”, there is almost no serious supply to meet a significant supply.
• As a result of the seasonal fluctuations of the energy supply (summer: a lot of sun – winter: a lot of wind), it makes sense to complete an existing photovoltaic generator with a small wind generator.
• These developments have a high market potential, since it is possible to reach a self-sufficiency degree of over 90%, by including electro-chemical storage systems (batteries). This, in return, allows almost a complete self-sufficient supply, which becomes increasingly attractive as a result of the gap between the feed-in remuneration (ca. 10 ct/KWh) and power socket price (ca. 28 ct/KWh).
• The reduction of photovoltaic installations offers established craft businesses the chance of using the existing infrastructure, distribution channels, customer access and service structures, in order to utilize the freed resources to their full capacity.
• There is a special market opportunity for certified generators, which can be installed without authorization (below 10 m above ground level) or, with a simplified installation authorization, on buildings (10 – 30 m above ground level), even in residential or mixed areas. There are high requirements to be met, regarding the level of noise emissions (below 35 dB(A)) and flickering shadows (below 30 h / year).
The social acceptance of the small wind generators is currently relatively high:
Esthetic studies regarding the acceptance of wind turbines on buildings (Zittau/Görlitz University, Research Report “Building-Integrated Wind Generators”, Dec. 2014) indicate that:
⇒ 3-wing horizontal rotors are felt as being inappropriate
⇒ the windmills which are > 0.6 times larger than the building are perceived as being too dominant
⇒ the height of the wind mill should be at 0.2 – 0.4 times the height of the building
⇒ on all types of buildings (single family home, apartment house, commercial building, historical building) the generators with the vertical axis (Darrieus, Savonius) were perceived as the most suitable structures.
The generator’s high coefficients secure reasonable profits, without “scaring” the neighbors with the size of the windmill.
REPLACEMENT OF DIESEL GENERATORS: STATIONARY AND MOBILE APPLICATIONS:
• There is a number of over 22.5 GW (22.500.000 KW) of diesel-generator based supply systems installed worldwide. The fuel costs, the high maintenance, the dependence on energy imports from politically unstable regions, as well as an increased environmental awareness, create a demand for alternative solutions.
• There is an additional potential in previously unsupplied rural areas of developing and emerging countries.
• Key to the success of the “Renewables” are the low maintenance costs / maintenance requirements, which lead, in spite of the higher acquisition costs, to a better economic competitiveness in comparison with diesel generators.