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Image Credit: AirPlus Renewables Ltd.

AirPlus Renewables, a new UK-based wind technology pioneer, is preparing to launch XEVA, its unique “Edge Wind Tech” turbine, designed to generate electricity closer to the point of use. The patented technology, invented by husband-and-wife team Jimish and Krupali Patel, has been created for decentralized energy generation and will be formally introduced at a planned launch event later this year, where the company will present real-time data from selected deployments across the UK and overseas.

Designed for decentralized deployment close to where energy is used, XEVA has been developed to operate in all environments, including those where airflow is often more complex than in open spaces. The XEVA system is designed to capture both turbulent and non-turbulent wind, making it suitable for commercial settings such as hospitals, data centers, colleges and council buildings, including installations on rooftops and at the edges of buildings.

Planned deployments include Hull NHS Teaching Hospital with additional installations at commercial and government building sites planned across other UK locations, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, USA and Canada. These sites have been selected not only to demonstrate the technology in real-world settings, but also to test its performance in a range of demanding conditions, from dense urban environments to coastal locations, desert expanses for sand and heat exposure and mountainous terrain for snow & and cold exposure.

“We started AirPlus with a very simple idea,” said Jimish Patel, founder of AirPlus Renewables. “Energy should be cost-effective and accessible for anyone and everyone. For us, energy is a necessity, not a luxury.

“XEVA has been developed to bring power production closer to where it’s needed most. It gives organizations a practical way to generate power on site, reduce dependence on the grid and make better use of the spaces they already have.”

While micro wind turbines are often scaled-down versions of conventional wind systems, Edge Wind Tech is different. It is intended for all environments, but also operates extremely effectively in built up environments, where airflow is shaped by nearby structures, allowing energy generation on site, where it is actually needed.

“The term draws on the idea of edge computing, where processing happens closer to where it is needed and reflects the fact that the turbines can also be strategically positioned at the rooftop edge of buildings to harness accelerated wind flows created by natural building-edge aerodynamics, maximizing energy generation efficiency from wind resources that otherwise wouldn’t be used”, explained Patel.

For most installations, the unit is supplied fully assembled, so it can be lifted into place and connected using a setup like solar installations. The company expects installation of the main product to take around 90 minutes.

“XEVA has been designed to improve the way smaller wind systems capture usable airflow. By designing and arranging XEVA blades to reduce “wind blind spots” and by operating in locations where conventional systems are often less effective, the technology will make fuller use of the wind available in built up environments,” Patel explained.

“The most important thing for us now is the data. We have chosen these deployment sites very carefully because they will allow us to see how the technology performs in very different real-world conditions.

“The launch event later this year will be an important milestone for us because it will give people the chance to see XEVA and the data and understand what our “Edge Wind Tech” innovation will deliver in different locations.”

Source: AirPlus Renewables Ltd.