THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Visitors to the ANERT seminar on rooftop grid-connected solar photo-voltaic power plants at Hotel Mascot are greeted by what at first sight looks like a set of revolving panels within a steel framework.
The ten-foot-tall Vertical Axis Wind Turbine is a better alternative to conventional windmills as it can churn out more power from lesser wind speeds, its developers said.
‘’This is the first such design in India and the concept is diametrically opposite to the conventional horizontal windmill. It can generate 7 to 10 kilowatts of electricity at wind speeds of 35-35 kmph,’’ said Arun Purushothaman, technical consultants of Veloxstreams, the company which has developed the vertical axis wind turbine.
‘’This particular design is ideal for industrial use. Conventional windmills require more wind speeds and the energy generated is relatively lesser,’’ he said. The wind turbine, designed by Joseph K J, has 16 leaves and is omnidirectional.
The three-day seminar, which concludes on Thursday, features a number of stalls by various agencies and private firms in the sector displaying their products. The ANERT stall, for example, has on display smokeless stoves.