| 1st May 2011 |
We're proud to say that the Power Collective
(and the ridgeblade) have been featured in the Sunday Times
Business Section - let's hope that it's the first of many appearances!
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| 22nd April
2011 |
"We Generate" Exciting times
ahead for the ridgeblade!
The
ridgeblade has been selected as one of the
technologies to be trialled as part of a massive retrofit programme in the
Netherlands. We'll let our good friends at the Doen Foundation explain...
"DOEN Foundation received EUR 13.5 million
from the Dutch Postcode Lottery to establish the "energy company of the future"
whereby (potential) customers can generate and save their own
energy."
DOEN has chosen ridgeblade
as one of the possible technologies to be used by this future energy company,
now being established and bearing the provisional name "We Generate". It aims at having 100,000 Dutch homes
fitted with power generation and energy savings technologies by 2015.
"We
Generate" pilots have already started and new pilots will include
the ridgeblade.
|
| September 2009 |
A FLEDGLING UK business has scooped a €500,000 top prize in
an international eco-challenge, with an almost invisible, low-cost rooftop wind
turbine.
Each year,
The Dutch Postcode Lottery Green Challenge gives away €500,000 to the
inventor of the best climate-friendly invention and this year the money has
been awarded to the Power Collective, a new company based in North Yorkshire,
with a radical wind turbine design known as the ridgeblade. The ridgeblade
is a cross flow turbine fitted on the ridge line at the top of a building and
uses the existing roof area to collect and focus the wind.
The wind is forced to travel over
the roof surface, accelerating the airflow though the turbine making it highly
efficient. In addition, the turbine is low-cost, works well in low-wind
conditions and is extremely quiet. Niklas Zennström, founder of Skype and
Kazaa presented the award to Managing Director Dean Gregory at a prestigious
ceremony in Amsterdam after being chosen as the winner by the jury, which also
included Chief Operating Officer of the Climate Group Jim Walker, executive
director of Greenpeace Netherlands Liesbeth van Tongeren, Dutch MP Kees Vendrik
and CEO of Media Republic Bas Verhart.
After receiving the award Dean
Gregory said: “Micro wind generation has always had the potential to be a
big part of the solution to climate change, but current technologies can be
expensive, subject to complex planning and difficult to deploy in urban areas.
The ridgeblade addresses all of these issues, by
combining innovation with elegant design and robust engineering.
We are delighted that the Dutch Postcode
Lottery Green Challenge has seen the tremendous potential of the
ridgeblade which we believe will transform the
generation of renewable energy.” Simon Pringle, founder of Mason Hardy and
Non-Executive Director of The Power Collective added: “Successfully
delivering on the potential offered by micro-generation means addressing issues
of affordability, reliability and visual impact. While integrating the
ridgeblade into new build housing would be simple
and would help to meet the Government’s objectives for zero carbon
housing, it is worth noting that approximately 70% of the housing stock that
will exist in the UK in 2050 already exists today. This means that any
micro-generation solution needs, like ridgeblade, to be suitable for retro-fitting and
to be sympathetic to the environments in which it is installed”.
Win Keech, inventor
of the ridgeblade and former Rolls Royce engineer noted
the turbine’s aesthetical appeal, saying: “Another major advantage
the ridgeblade provides above and beyond existing wind
turbines is that it is far less visually intrusive and easier to install than
other options. Its visual unobtrusiveness makes it suitable for city housing as
well as environmentally sensitive locations.” The Power Collective aims to
issue a target release date early in 2010 which will ensure all necessary
refinement and performance testing is completed prior to releasing the
ridgeblade to the market.
The ridgeblade
has gained the support of the North York Moors National Park Sustainable
Development Fund and the first prototypes are due to be installed in the North
York Moors National Park this autumn. |
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