Earlier this year, CPB Contractors launched an Australian-first trial of a next-generation 6KW-rated prototype vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) as part of a partnership between CPB Contractors, VAWT-X Energy and Firestone Hybrid Generators. The first-of-its-kind wind turbine was developed by Adelaide-based renewable energy technology start-up company, VAWT-X, in collaboration with Flinders University and funding from private equity, state and federal governments. The prototype was installed on the South Australian government’s Fleurieu Connections Alliance (FCA) Main South Road Duplication project’s Aldinga compound in February and has been undergoing extensive operational testing over the past few months.
CPB Contractors’ trial on the FCA is a critical step in validating the VAWT-X design for regulatory accreditation and provides an opportunity for Firestone Hybrid Generators to confirm the turbines’ integration with existing hybrid power system technologies. Data shows the prototype performing as expected, highlighting that VAWT-X has achieved a key milestone in its roadmap towards development of highly efficient advanced commercial wind turbine units.
Designed to be quieter and adaptable to conditions on a major infrastructure project, CPB Contractors believes this clean energy technology has the potential to be a game-changer for the construction industry. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels (and the logistics that entails), supplementing solar power and creating overall efficiencies through a self-sustainable project site.
CPB Contractors Project Director, Andrew Coonan said, “Innovative thinking and the trial and adoption of new, sustainable technologies is core to CPB Contractors’ business. The sheer size and scale of our projects provides us with the optimum environment to test prototypes like VAWT-X Energy’s vertical axis wind turbine, particularly as we turn our focus to more regionally located developments in the renewable energy space.
“We are committed to partnering with forward-thinking people and businesses to develop solutions that allow us to leave the communities and environments where we work in a better place than when we arrived, and believe low-impact wind turbines like these, combined with our in-house mobile solar power supply units have the potential to help our project sites be self-sufficient in their supply and usage of energy – making the most of the environment, so that when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, we capitalise on this natural resource.”
VAWT-X Energy’s Australian-first 6KW-rated VAWT offers a more sustainable, versatile alternative for renewable energy production in Australia, requiring significantly less land space and suitable in areas where the wind direction is highly variable, making it a viable solution for urban areas.
VAWT-X Energy Managing Director Gary Andrews said, “We see the main benefit of these VAWTs as enabling the roll-out of distributed wind energy generation, which has hitherto been locked up in wind farms dependent on large scale developers. The scale of this technology, its low noise and aesthetics mean it can be brought closer to the end user and can empower the community to proactively choose wind generation as part of their energy mix.”
The prototype VAWT is currently operational and is being used to provide power to FCA site buildings and to recharge batteries with the overall objective of testing the feasibility of large-scale VAWT for scaled commercialisation.
“With a growing pipeline of renewables projects, we see enormous potential for this technology. Not only can we generate clean energy while ensuring low to no-impact on these regional communities, but these turbines and the energy they generate can remain beyond the project build, providing cost-efficient power for the people and businesses in these regions. We are proud to be working with the talented minds at VAWT-X Energy and Firestone Hybrid Generators, bridging the gap between computer simulations and real-world applications, supporting the future of local manufacturing in Australia,” Andrew Coonan.