Optimized Vertical Wind Turbine – Binopterus

Here we are with the sixth article of the New Energy Close-up Engineering Column, #StartUp4Energy. German startup developed an innovative vertical wind turbine; they called it BINOPTERUS. The real innovation, in this case, is about the energy generation at low wind speeds. Wind turbines at high wind speed produce nothing for safety, at low wind speed, usually, produce a smaller amount of energy, but not in this case. Binopterus can perfectly work also at low speed because of its Wind Optimizer and its Wind Collector.

On the startup’s website are listed all the advantages of this technology:

• easy to install on your own and can be mounted on roofs, low walls, building walls, carports, containers or masks;
• all parts are made of aluminum and stainless steel, which ensures a very long service life without power loss, wear or danger from corrosion;
• storm-proof and no danger for birds or bats;
• low start-up speed;
• works independently of wind direction;
• at a wind speed of just 3 m/s (with Wind Collector) or 4 m/s (without Wind Collector), a charging current for the 6 Volt USB interface, a 12 Volt or 24 Volt battery can be generated already, which in turn can be used to feed the building grid via an inverter.

For regions with particularly low wind, the Binopterus can be equipped with the Wind Collector, which usually is aligned in the main wind direction. The funnel-shaped device collects additional wind streaming past and permits charge currents even at 3 m/s. Binopterus combines two wind turbine shapes in one: the resistance rotor and the lift rotor. The vertical shape makes the wind turbine independent of the wind direction. There are different context in which it the wind turbine can be used: feeding power into the building grid or company grid, power for use as island solution in autonomous areas, installation on the carport or garage for charging an electric car, as additional power supply on boats.

Binopterus has a specific Wind Optimizer in order

• to control always the charge current optimally according to the internal resistance of the generator (no matter if the wind turbine runs slow or fast, the optimal output is emitted to the battery at any time),
• to serve as a charge controller that can be switched between charging batteries of 12 Volt or 24 Volt,
• to charge the battery even at little wind,
• to display performance data such as Watt, Volt, Ampere of the wind turbine,
• to stop the wind turbine in case of storms to prevent storm damage to the wind turbine (there is also has a second electric brake that can stop the wind turbine manually by the push of a button at any time).

The energy potential of Binopterus depends, of course, on the wind-speed. It produces energy from 2 m/s to 8 m/s, and it can achieve almost 20,000 kWh energy generation in 20 years as a maximum. You can read more about the technology in their website and in their Kickstarter page.