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HKU and Motorwave Limited Jointly Developed Micro-Wind Turbine Technology for Crowded Cities

15 Mar 2007

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The Department of Mechanical Engineering of The University of Hong Kong and Motorwave Limited have jointly developed and launched a new development in micro-wind turbine technology which enables wind turbines to start generating electricity at wind speeds as low as 2 meters per second and to be installed on balconies at home or rooftops of buildings.

This technology has been endorsed by environmental groups in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Sea School and WWF Hong Kong will deploy the new micro-wind turbine technology in the coming months. The Friends of the Earth (HK) is also considering carrying out an educational program on wind energy, using the micro-wind turbine technology as an example.

This technology advancement is a result of collaboration of Dr Dennis Y C Leung and Dr Michael K H Leung at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, HKU, and French inventor Mr Lucien Gambarota, founder and President of Motorwave Limited.

Mr Lucien Gambarota, the inventor of the micro-wind turbines explains, "To date, renewable energy generators have been too expensive and too complex to be used by individual consumers. Our philosophy is to make renewable energy accessible in terms of price and technology, so that every citizen can potentially play a role to improve our environment."

Dr Dennis Leung said: "How to reduce the emissions from pollution sources is of paramount importance for improving our ever deteriorating air quality. A prototype of the micro-wind turbine has been built and tested recently in a HKU wind tunnel to establish the operational characteristics of the machine. As the innovative design is suitable for mass production, the cost will be very competitive. Products will be soon available on the market. You and I will be able to choose to help the environment by harnessing wind power and reducing greenhouse gases."

The beauty of the micro-wind turbine technology is its simplicity and efficiency, allowing energy to be harnessed at wind speeds as low as 2 meters per second. Conventional small wind turbines are designed to have rotor blades, which require large spaces to operate in and need to be located away from populated areas. They start generating power at wind speeds of around 4 meters per second, and require wind speeds of over 7 meters per second in order to be efficient. The average wind speed in most urban areas throughout the world is only 5 meters per second.

By using specially designed plastic gearwheels, just 26 cm in diameter, with a small generator, a micro-wind turbine can be arranged in any array of shapes and sizes, up to thousands of square meters. They can be located where conventional small wind turbines would not be allowed.

Conventional small wind turbines only work 20-40% of the time due to variations in wind speed, whereas the micro-wind turbines can operate 80% of the time (in both weak and strong wind conditions). The electricity generated by a micro-wind turbine is first transmitted and stored in a battery; and through the battery, the electricity can be used to drive home electrical appliances, for example, lights, LCD monitors and TV sets. (For details of the electrical output of micro-wind turbines.

The new technology gives residential, commercial and industrial users opportunities not only to cut their energy costs, but also to reduce their carbon emissions indirectly. The cost of the micro-wind turbine system is only 10% - 20% of current small wind turbine system, and can potentially be recouped in less than two years. This means that the general public can now afford to generate renewable energy themselves.

The Hong Kong Sea School will be the first school in Hong Kong to install micro-wind turbine system. "Once installed, the turbines will provide a foundation for science and design and technology studies at the school as well as providing a resource for other schools and community groups to see a working example of clean energy production in action," said Dr William Hutchinson, Head of the Hong Kong Sea School.

WWF Hong Kong plans to install these turbines at their building in the Hoi Ha Marine Reserve. Eric Bohm, CEO of WWF Hong Kong said: "The time for action is now. WWF calls upon the corporate community to support and invest in alternate forms of energy to make a difference in the area of climate change."

With the commercialisation of the micro-wind technology, Motorwave Limited will be donating a portion of the revenue raised from the sale of the micro-wind turbines to HKU for further research in renewable energy technologies.

Useful link: Motorwave Limited (micro-wind technology): http://www.motorwavegroup.com/new/motorwindpressmaterial.

For enquiries, please contact:

The University of Hong Kong:
Dr Dennis Leung, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, at 852-2859 7911
Dr Michael K.H. Leung, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, at 852-2859 2628

Motorwave Limited:
Mr Lucien Gambarota, Founder and President, at 852-9032 1935 or at gambarota@motorwavegroup.com
Mr Douglas Woodring, Vice President, at 852-9020 3949 or at woodring@motorwavegroup.com

Notes for Editors:

About The University of Hong Kong and Department of Mechanical Engineering

The University of Hong Kong is Hong Kong's first and foremost tertiary institution, founded in 1911. It is a faculty-based tertiary institution with 10 faculties encompassing many disciplines and each of them offers both undergraduate and postgraduates programmes. The Department of Mechanical Engineering was established in 1958 and is one of the largest departments within the Faculty of Engineering. In recent years, there has been steady growth in staff and student numbers, together with continuous development and diversification in academic courses, departmental facilities, and research. The department is currently actively involved in the research of renewable energies, energy conservation, and environmental protection.

About Motorwave Limited

Motorwave Limited is a Hong Kong company that was established in 2006. It has developed a series of widely applicable and cost effective renewable energy technologies ranging from wave and wind energy, to power produced from exercise equipment in gyms. The wave technology can be used to create electricity, desalinized water, and hydrogen, each of which has large global benefits when generated from wave energy.

Photo caption:
Micro-wind turbine installed on the rooftop of Chow Yei Ching Building, HKU