Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape
The green energy revolution is sweeping across Europe mostly powered by the now-ubiquitous technological advancements of solar panels and wind turbines. It has become notable, however, that of these two technologies only solar panels have been deemed suitable and flexible for installation both in the countryside and in cities.
On the other hand, wind turbines seem relegated to wave their mighty wings in marine offshore locations or on the top of mountains. But what if you could bring power-generating capacity via wind right into the heart of cities? That’s precisely what Brussels has decided to try out thanks to a smaller wind turbine model designed by the startup Renewind.
Just like solar panels, the Renewind mini wind turbine can be installed on the roof of a building and begin supplying electricity to households. This could be a game changer for cities that don’t see much sunshine but are exposed to regular air currents.
First prototype – part of a national programme The first Renewind wind turbine was installed on the roof of a housing tower on Avenue de l’Héliport in the district of Laeken in Brussels. It cost the regional government of the Belgian capital only 6,000 euros.
The plan previews the installation of ten such wind turbines on the roof of the same building. Renewind’s invention is designed to make the most of wind acceleration at the edge of the roof, a phenomenon that could produce between 1 and 3 MWh per year.
“Urban wind turbine technology would probably allow us to produce electricity in all seasons, with stable and predictable output,” says Benoît Hellings, Brussels Alderman for Climate, quoted by RTBF.
The plan, however, is to expand this new technology across Belgium and test it out in other regions of the country.