ABB helps harness urban wind energy

Designed and manufactured by quietrevolution of the U.K., the QR5 wind turbine has already won eight awards and nominations as well as the attention of the world media, including the BBC, CNN, Financial Times and MSNBC.

“ABB’s Direct Torque Control technology is crucial to the operation of the wind turbine. It allows us to effectively vary the rotor speed to optimize performance at any given wind speed.”

Richard Cochrane, quietrevolution The QR5 is a vertical axis wind turbine designed specifically to harness wind energy in environments near people and buildings, where changes in wind speed and direction can be rapid and unpredictable.

The helical (twisted) design is highly compact and, unlike conventional wind turbines, suitable for installation on rooftops or in open space alongside buildings.

It is virtually silent and vibration-free, and with minimal moving parts requires little maintenance.

A typical installation can produce up to 7,500 kilowatt-hours of electric power a year, which is enough to meet the electricity requirements of a small office of 10 people.

To date around 100 QR5 wind turbines have been sold to retailers, real estate developers, public authorities, schools, universities and colleges in the U.K. and Europe.

ABB at an early stage of product development for advice and guidance on an electrical solution for this potentially revolutionary wind turbine.

ABB conducted extensive tests in the U.K. and Finland, helped ensure that the wind turbines comply with the requirements of grid operators and government legislation, and proposed an appropriate permanent magnet generator.

A standard ABB industrial regenerative drive enables the turbine to generate the maximum amount of wind power at all times and in rapidly changing wind speeds.

“The drive allows us to switch seamlessly from regeneration to drawing power, as well as giving accurate speed control,” says Richard Cochrane, quietrevolutions’s founder and chief technology officer. “This produces the maximum amount of energy from gusty and turbulent winds, which are prevalent in built-up environments.

“Another useful feature of the ABB drive are the simple communications protocols, which are a cost-effective way to control and report on the performance of the system via our web interface,” says Cochrane.

ABB is the world’s leading supplier of power and automation equipment and solutions for the wind power industry, and is the market and technology leader in low- and medium-voltage AC and DC drives.

www.abb.com