WORLD WIND ENERGY NET

More and smaller wind farms spread around New Zealand are a significant part of our future energy supply, according to New Zealand wind power expert Geoff Henderson.

The pros and cons of wind power in New Zealand will be a key topic for discussion at the sixth New Zealand International Science Festival to be held in Dunedin in July.

Keynote speaker at the Festival, Geoff Henderson, is CEO and Director of Windflow Technology Ltd. His speech is titled "Wind Power – The New Oil" and he is an advocate of smaller and smarter wind turbines arguing that for New Zealand conditions in both economic and environmental terms, smaller or “medium” sized turbines are the smart way forward.

He will address the big picture issues of the future of wind power in NZ; the environmental issues around wind power, in particular landscape issues; and consider the two “visions” of wind power currently being promoted in NZ, ie large turbines and large (>100 MW) projects vs medium-size turbines and small projects (<50 MW).

It is anticipated that energy generation from wind will produce an additional 3000-5000 MW in New Zealand over the next 20 years.

Mr Henderson will put a case for smaller wind projects of around 40/60 turbines, each about 30m in height, producing around 20-30MW, or enough to power 8000 -12,000 households.

He will present scale images and other objective comparisons regarding the visual and other environmental impacts of the Windflow 500 (smaller turbine) relative to imported turbines which are about 3 times larger in linear scale.

And he will discuss some of the non-linear relationships about wind turbine impacts.

Geoff Henderson established Windflow Technology Ltd with four other directors in 2001 when they successfully raised equity funding to build the first Windflow turbine.

This innovative wind turbine is breaking new ground in terms of design for fundamental fatigue load reduction, in particular gearbox loads for synchronous generation and for local manufacturing.

The first 500 kW Windflow turbine was completed near Christchurch in 2003, the first production batch of 5 turbines was completed in 2006 and the company is now moving to continuous production of at least 5 turbines a month for a 97 turbine wind farm near Palmerston North.

He was also a finalist in EECA 2007 Energywise Awards for the Outstanding Contribution Award and the company Windflow Technology was the joint winner of E3 Product Innovation Award.

The New Zealand International Science Festival takes place in Dunedin over nine days from 5 July –13 July 2008. The science of sustainability is a key theme at the Festival.
Living sustainably means living smarter.

It also requires good science.
That sounds complex and technical. It won’t be. In keeping with the Festival’s overall theme: Everyday Science – it’s all in your head, the focus will be on how to apply the lessons of science to making our homes healthier and more energy efficient, saving money and the planet.

Anyone with an interest in wind power technology or sustainability in New Zealand should attend the festival.
Wind power – the new oil? Friday 11 July, 7.30pm - 8.30pm College of Education Auditorium, Ground Floor, 145 Union St East, Dunedin.